Coke Addictions for Bees

This sounds like something that could go terribly wrong: Australian scientists are injecting bees with cocaine in order to learn more about addiction. Researchers studied honeybees whose job is finding food—flying to flowers, discovering nectar, and if their discovery is important enough, doing a waggle dance to help hive mates navigate to the location. Coked up bees “danced more frequently and more vigorously for the same quality food,” said one scientist. “They were about twice as likely to dance” as undrugged bees, and they circled “about 25 percent faster.” Next up: scientists are looking to see whether bees begin to crave cocaine and need more for the same effect, like humans, when the grams disappear.