Bees Find Fountain of Youth

Bees Find Fountain of Youth

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Getting out of a solitary rut and socializing like a more youthful version of yourself might be enough to reverse the aging process in your brain — at least, if you’re a bee.

When older honeybees in a new study were coaxed from their role as independent foragers to resume nursing the hive’s larvae — a more social job usually done by younger bees — they regained a lost ability to learn new things. Taking on their younger jobs also boosted levels of two proteins that protect the brain from dementia and stress-related damage.