Felicity Muth Featured in National Geographic Video on Bumblebee Intelligence

Small brains can do remarkable things. Felicity Muth, an associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and a National Geographic Explorer, is featured in a National Geographic Society video highlighting her research on how bumblebees learn, remember and make decisions.

Produced by the Society’s Impact Story Lab, the video offers a look at how Muth studies bee cognition in the context of their natural environments. By testing how bees associate colors and other floral cues with rewards, her lab investigates the abilities these insects use to navigate their world.

“We’re not really interested in bees as little humans,” Muth explains. “We’re interested in bees as bees.”

Her work challenges assumptions about the relationship between brain size and intelligence and encourages greater appreciation for these tiny animals. The research is supported by the National Geographic Society and the Templeton World Charity Foundation through the Wildlife Intelligence Project, a global initiative inspired by Jane Goodall and the Templeton Prize.