Core Argument - Understanding the mechanisms underlying social behavior is crucial, as social interactions are tightly linked to individual success across species [2][4] - Current model systems are limited in capturing the full range of behavioral variation, hindering the identification of essential ingredients for social behaviors [11] - Comparing and contrasting diverse species, like social and solitary bees, can reveal "same differences" that highlight unique features of social organisms [20][21] Research Approach - The research uses an evolutionary biology approach to understand the mechanisms shaping the social brain by comparing social and solitary species [6][21] - The study involves identifying genes shaped by natural selection in social species and examining hormone levels in their brains [22][23] - The research also explores how social experiences and environmental factors interact with genes to influence social behavior [28][29] Key Findings & Implications - Certain genes associated with hormone binding and transport are linked to social behavior variations in bees and may have connections to human social disorders like autism [23][26] - Social experiences, such as early-life isolation, can significantly impact social behavior and brain development in various species, including bees and humans [34] - Studying social behavior in bees can provide insights into the fundamental blueprint of the social brain, potentially applicable to a wide range of species, including humans [25][38]

This is a fish swimming. On the left, there's a cylinder with water rushing past it, creating turbulent eddies called vortices that the fish can't see, but they can feel. In nature, fish swim in turbulent flows, and they surf on these vortices. Now only if this fish were alive. But it's not. It's dead. How then is this fish swimming? The vortices generated from the cylinder provide the energy. The water swims the dead fish. I'm a professor at the University of Florida, a biomechanist and neuroscientist, and ...