Bee-brained

These incredibly detailed images are scans of a brain of a bumblebee – measuring less than a centimetre across – created using a new technique called micro-CT scanning. Similar to hospital CT scanners used to visualise tumours inside patients or see the structure of a human brain, micro-CT uses precision X-ray beams to scan through objects hundreds of times in all directions. These X-rays are collected and assembled using a powerful computer, creating a three-dimensional image revealing a wealth of tiny details. Unlike other high-powered microscopy techniques, which use potentially damaging chemicals to preserve cells, micro-CT can be used to observe tissues in their natural state, providing a more accurate picture. And although it may not seem like we have a lot in common with a buzzing bumblebee, studying the structures of their brains and how they relate to their function helps to shed light on our own grey matter.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

Writer

Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

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• Images from work by Dylan B. Smith and colleagues
• Silwood Park, Imperial College London, and School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
• Images originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Scientific Reports, February 2016