Quran’s scientific miracle in stating that “bees navigate only because of the divine inspiration “
By: mohamad massarweh
Quran says
" Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." 16:69
How do bees find their way back to their hive ? Is one from the amazing things in the world of insects. Each day, forager honeybees may visit about 2,000 flowers for collecting pollen and nectar, doing overall flight of more than one kilometer. Despite the huge distance honeybees always find their way back accurately. It was thought that honeybees use the sun for navigation. But later findings pointed out for something else .In order to track the flight course,a group of researchers attached transponders to honeybees’ back. Then they divided them for two groups ,one group was disorientated by exposure to a general anesthetic for six hours while the second group was not anesthetized. The researchers found that after releasing the bees 400 meters away from their hive. The disoriented bees returned to the hive with a similar speed and accuracy of non-disorientated ones, suggesting use of "mental maps" by honeybees in which they recognize landmarks such as hedgerows and other, smaller features. Studies revealed that bees ,similarly to vertebrates and mammals, express EGr gene which is involved in learning and memorizing . But that can not be the reason for honeybees׳ cognitive abilities nor their spatial memory, since their brain is so tiny to accommodate and analyze the huge visual and spatial data needed for finding the way back. (and follow the ways of your Lord
laid down) [for you]
References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/27637747
http://www.westernfarmpress.com/tree-nuts/how-does-honey-bee-find-its-way-home
http://m.pnas.org/content/111/24/8949
