Scientists have taught bees how to play golf

If you’ve been wondering when the next giant step in science will be taken, rejoice – a team from Queen Mary University of London have taught bumblebees how to play golf.

The New Scientist reports that they built a circular platform with a small hole in the centre filled with sugar solution, into which bees had to move a ball to get the reward – a researcher guided them by using a plastic bee on a stick to push the ball.

It’s not just bored scientists getting bees to play ball games, there is a serious point.

“They don’t just blindly copy the demonstrator; they can improve on what they learned,” says Olli Loukola, author of the study. He thinks the nimble learning skills could help the bees forage successfully in changing natural environments. “This ability to copy others and improve upon what they observe, I think that’s really important.”

So it turns out bees are smart. Smart bees. Bad news for Nicolas Cage…