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| New Research Shows Bumblebees Have Emotions Which Influences Their Behavior , Just Like Humans
With all the conveniences of modernity, the human condition has unfortunately lost some of its connection with the natural world. As we separate ourselves ever more from other species, we find it more difficult to think of them beyond something to be used or exterminated. Science has a way of reconnecting us, though. A study of bumblebees published in the journal Science found that they possess emotional states that influence behavior, just like humans. The research goes against the common presumption that insects are simple creatures carrying out nothing more than pre-programmed sets of actions. The scientists found that bumblebees took less time to discover ambiguous-colored flowers after drinking a small droplet of very sweet sugar water, and took less time to reinitiate foraging after a simulated spider attack. Previous experiments have shown the flower color behavior was not due to the bees "getting more excited or searching faster," which "indicates that the sweet sugar water may