Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
45 results for "honeybees"
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2Fd9%2Fbe%2Fd9beba45-85f5-447b-92ff-bbbfcee0ecc0%2Fabd_53_page_2.jpg)
A groundbreaking book shows honeybees aren't just mindless workers but individuals with unique preferences, behaviors, and survival strategies. The discovery could change how we understand these vital pollinators.
Scientists discovered that honeybees can identify individual human faces despite having brains containing just one million neurons compared to our 86 billion. This tiny miracle challenges everything we thought we knew about what it takes to solve complex problems.
Australian researchers have discovered that European honeybees possess numerical abilities, potentially using this skill to assess flower abundance in nature. This breakthrough could inspire new biologically-based technology designs.
A scientist's two-year-old son asked why queen bee cells aren't hexagons, sparking a breakthrough discovery. Researchers found "royal engineer" bees that use their bodies as furnaces to build specialized cells that help create healthy queens.
A unique hybrid honeybee in Southern California is naturally resisting the parasites killing colonies nationwide. These bees carry 68% fewer mites than commercial hives and could help save struggling pollinators.
Scientists created pocket-sized drones that find their way home using bee-inspired navigation and memory thousands of times smaller than GPS. These credit-card-sized computers could make autonomous outdoor robots lighter, cheaper, and far more practical.
A groundbreaking vaccine protecting honeybees from a deadly disease is making history as the first approved vaccine for insects. The innovation could revolutionize how we protect both bees and other animals.
Three Alberta high school students just defeated 26 university teams with an invention that could save honeybee colonies. Their automated hive monitoring system won Canada's top prototype award and might become a real startup.
Scientists created a superfood for honeybees using engineered yeast, and colonies exploded with 15 times more young. The breakthrough could help save struggling bee populations and protect our food supply.
Scientists discovered honeybees don't perform the same waggle dance for everyone. They tailor their communication style depending on who's watching, revealing a level of social intelligence we never knew existed in insects.
Scientists discovered honeybees blend pollen from different flowers to create nutritionally balanced "baby food" for their young. The finding reveals why wild bees need diverse flowers to thrive.
A viral video shows an English beekeeper letting a honeybee safely unwind its stinger instead of swatting it away. His patience saved the bee's life and sparked millions to rethink how they react to stings.
When a truck carrying 25 million honeybees broke down in scorching Utah heat, quick-thinking firefighters turned their hoses on the trailer to keep the insects alive. Not a single bee or firefighter was harmed in the creative rescue.
A new in-hive light therapy device is helping honeybee colonies survive longer and pollinate more effectively after exposure to stress. The innovation comes as US beekeepers lost nearly 60% of colonies last winter.
Scientists taught drones to find their way home like honeybees, using just 42 kilobytes of memory—about the size of a single sticker image. The breakthrough could transform how lightweight robots navigate without GPS.
When a semi-truck carrying 480 beehives broke down on a scorching Utah highway, firefighters turned their hoses into cooling stations and rescued 25 million honeybees from overheating. The quick-thinking rescue saved critical pollinators that help feed communities across the country.
Scientists taught a small drone to navigate like a honeybee, using a neural network 150,000 times smaller than typical robot navigation systems. The breakthrough could help tiny robots explore disaster zones, deliver medicine, and perform tasks that larger drones can't.
Scientists discovered honeybees adjust their famous waggle dance based on who's paying attention. When their audience shrinks or loses interest, the dancing bee's movements become sloppier and less clear.
A quiet cemetery in Ithaca, New York shelters up to 8 million solitary bees in one of the largest underground colonies ever discovered. These hardworking pollinators are secretly helping nearby farms thrive while teaching scientists how ordinary spaces can become vital wildlife havens.
When rare desert rains trigger flower blooms, Dawson bees burst from underground in a frenzied race to find mates before the flowers fade. National Geographic's new documentary captures this stunning natural spectacle.
Showing 20 of 45