Social Insects May Share Brain Power (IMAGE)

Drexel University

Social Insects May Share Brain Power

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"This nest from eastern Ecuador is one of the largest, most impressive, intimidating wasp colonies I ever encountered," said Sean O'Donnell, Ph.D., professor at Drexel University whose new study focuses on the evolution of social behavior and brain structures for complex cognition in different wasp species, including these, Polybia dimidiata. "The nest was over a yard tall and housed thousands of large, aggressive workers. These wasps represent a very advanced stage of social evolution, with strong differentiation between reproductive queens and sterile workers. They start new colonies by swarming."

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Sean O'Donnell

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