Nobel Prize For Bee Dance

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There is much excitement among the scientific community as to who will be awarded the Nobel prize in the sciences. I am far more excited. In this article, we shall examine how the understanding of animal behaviour and patterns at both individual and social levels can contribute to our comprehension of human psychology and disease states. This was the subject of the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 awarded to Nikolaas Tinbergen, Karl Von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz. In this article, we shall realize the mechanism and purpose of the waggle dance which is used by foraging bees to communicate with one another about the location of food sources.


Meet the Nobel laureate

Nobel laureate Karl Von Frisch. photo credit: Lot-Art


Karl Von Frisch, a German-Austrian can be described as a pioneer melittologist who critically and deeply investigated the behaviour of insects, especially honeybees species. He was particularly curious about the mechanism through which bees disseminate information to other members of the hive and the significance of the demonstration as a major language. It can come as a shock to see an animal scientist being awarded the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine.

We will soon realize that his work is very fundamental in psychiatry studies. In this article, we shall look into the waggle dance and why is it so essential in medicine.


Ethology of bee communication

The waggle dance reveals the position of food in relation to the sun. Photo credit: amazing world of animals-wordpress.com


Bees are known for transmitting messages and signals through scents and dance moves. These dance moves can be categorized into two primary types:

• Round dance: In the round dance, the bee makes a circle and then turns to make another in the alternate direction. This does not give a precise direction but it shows that the location of food and nectar is close. The scent might also be used so that the receivers can get and track the direction of the smell.

• Waggle dance: A more complex kind of dance, it involves the bee making a wavy movement along a straight line and then turning right to make a circular curve. It then repeats this in the opposite direction forming a somewhat circular movement. 

The angle the axis of the dance makes with the sun signals the direction and distance of the pollen or nectar. This is then interpreted by the others and they move straight towards the source. The farther the source, the lengthier the dance and the more excited the bee, the faster she dances. This has shown to be a highly successful technique of relaying knowledge across the colony. Certain alkanes and alkenes (tricosane and pentacosane and their dehydrogenated forms) are also used in the process, which is perceived by the colony members as making it remarkably efficient. 

Bees employ this mechanism when they explore for food and when they find favourable nesting sites.

Why does this deserve the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine?

The waggle dance is a model for studying the nature of psychiatric illnesses. Photo credit: the guardian.


This discovery has substantiated the mechanism through which genetically programmed behaviour is expressed from individual to social levels. It has broadened our knowledge of the mechanism of communication and the psychological wirings of members of a species. This is foundational research showing the importance of specific experiences and behaviours and their relationships with normal development.

Waggle dance analysis contributes greatly to the understanding of several abnormal psychologies

• Schizophrenia, hyperactivity and aggressive behaviours.

• Autism and autistic spectrum disorders

• Obsessive-compulsive disorders

• Emotional disorders and stress

• Learning difficulties and disabilities

• Psychosis, dementia and neurosis.

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