In my regular Popular Science reading today I read an interesting article regarding bumble bees ability to solve the very difficult math problem: how to find the shortest possible route between cities while only visiting each city once. Scientists call this the classic travelling salesman problem.
The test involved computer controlled artificial flowers. The researchers were trying to determine if the bees would go to the flowers as they were discovered or if they would plan and route the most efficient way. It turns out that the bees went to each flower in the most efficient way possible even as new flowers were added. Super computers take days to solve this problem, but the bees can do it on the fly.
Take a look at the article:
PopSci: Bees beat computers ability to solve complex math problem
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