Events & News
Cog Sci Brown Bag Seminar
| Category | Lecture |
| Date | Friday, October 9, 2009 |
| Time | 12:00 pm |
| Location | GS 906 |
| Speaker | Wulfila Gronenberg |
| Title | Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Division of Neurobiology |
| Affiliation | Arizona Research Labs, University of Arizona |
Social Insects - Social Brains?
Abstract: Social insects such as honey bees, ants or yellow-jackets live in complex societies and show some behaviors that are quite advanced for insects (e.g. navigation, nestmate recognition, learning and memory). Do their brains reflect their social organization? Yes and No. The 'Social Brain Hypothesis' as it has been conceived in particular for primates does not apply to social insects. Never the less, there are some aspects of social insect brains that reflect the insects' advanced behavioral capabilities. I will try to show some connections between brain and behavior at different levels from the size and anatomy of brains and brain components to the structure and function of individual nerve cells.