Quantum Bees!?

In his book The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton asserts that Biology is the only field of science that really hasn't integrated quantum theory -- it still lives mainly in a Newtonian universe. Other scientific fields, not the least of which being physics, have embraced the Quantum Mechanics possibilities and used them to great effect -- see further cell phones, microprocessors, etc. When biologists begin to speak in terms of the realities of the quantum world, they tend to be laughed off the stage.

How does this relate to bees? It looks like Barbara Shipman, a mathematics professor at the University of Rochester, is beginning to use quantum theory to guide her thinking about bees and especially bee navigation and communication.

It is, specifically, the Bee Dance that is the focus of her work. Here is a quick video showing the dance and talking a little about what is currently known. Here is another video talking about how the dance "incorporates" vector calculus to stay accurate as the day continues and the sun moves. These two videos make the behavior seem specific and complex, but the mechanisms they propose don't hold a candle to the subtlety and complexity of Shipman's theories.

Shipman wants to try and figure out how bees gather, process, and communicate the navigational information they transmit during the dance. Her search took her quickly into advanced mathematics and quantum field theory. The article does an admirable job bringing such esoteric scientific topics to a readable level, and is well worth the effort.

Enjoy the intrigue of the world around you,

Bp

[via Babs, excellent catch!]