We humans are versatile and accomplished navigators, but insects might have navigation skills that are even better. For them, it's literally a matter of life and death – and that's why we decided to freeze some ants and beetles (don't worry, they s
insects manage to remember constantly updating memories over a long period of time – and, we decided that freezing the insects was the best way to find the answer.Anaesthesiologists know that when someone goes under anesthesia they forget certain things that happened before anesthesia, but remember others, depending on how these memories are stored.
If their direction and distance memories are maintained as short-term electrical activity, they will be wiped out when they are frozen – but if they are stored in synapses between neurons they will be maintained.down to melting ice temperature for 30 minutes. Then we returned them to ambient temperature and, once they recovered, we released them at an unfamiliar place to see what they would do.
But we found that the insects that had been frozen moved in the expected direction, but had forgotten the distance they should travel – this meant that they started searching for the entrance to their nest too early. But we think the best explanation for the phenomenon is not two separate memories, but one common memory that encodes both the direction and distance combined – and partially decays when frozen.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Working Memory vs. Short-Term Memory: What’s the Difference?”“Working memory challenges are part of having ADHD. They don’t cause ADHD; they come with ADHD.”
Read more »
Burnout: Modern Affliction or Human Condition?“If you think you’re burned out, you’re burned out, and if you don’t think you’re burned out you’re burned out,” Jill Lepore writes. “Everyone sits under the shade of that juniper tree, weeping, and whispering, ‘Enough.’ ” But what, exactly, is burnout?
Read more »
Where Did All The Froyo Go? A Very Serious InvestigationTen years ago, the world looked a little different. Barack Obama was president, One Direction was still together (RIP), Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit single “Call Me Maybe” was blasting from our iPod touches, Fifty Shades Of Grey was making everyone horny, our Instagram feeds were still in chronological order, Nick Jonas took off his purity ring — and frozen yogurt shops had swarmed almost every town, city, and suburb in the United States.
Read more »
Aluminum shortage affecting small businessesMore companies around the globe are canning beverages, leading to a shortage of aluminum cans. Now, small businesses are adapting to survive.
Read more »
U.S. troops in Latvia tells Putin 'don't mess with us,' minister saysThe presence of U.S. and other NATO troops in Latvia sends a message to Vladimir Putin that Russia should stay away, Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks said on Friday as he greeted a small deployment of U.S. soldiers.
Read more »
Winter storm grips U.S. Northeast with mix of heavy snow, freezing rainAn intense winter storm will dump a mix of heavy snow and freezing rain on the U.S. Northeast on Friday, creating dangerous travel conditions while knocking out power to homes and businesses.
Read more »