The scent of the waggle dance

The waggle dance of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) foragers communicates to nest mates the location of a profitable food source. We used solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to show that waggle-dancing bees produce and release two alkanes, tricosane and pentacosane, and two alkenes, Z-(9)-tricosene and Z-(9)-pentacosene, onto their abdomens and into the air. Nondancing foragers returning from the same food source produce these substances in only minute quantities. Injection of the scent significantly affects worker behavior by increasing the number of bees that exit the hive. The results of this study suggest that these compounds are semiochemicals involved in worker recruitment. By showing that honey bee waggle dancers produce and release behaviorally active chemicals, this study reveals a new dimension in the organization of honey bee foraging.     

The dance legacy of Karl von Frisch

Karl von Frisch published “Die Tänze der Bienen” in 1946, which demonstrated that successful honey bee foragers perform a stereotyped dance to communicate the location of valuable resources to her nestmates. This discovery proved to be the starting point of many areas of investigation. Here I review some recent advancement in our understanding of the waggle dance.     

The effect of a traditional dance training program on dynamic balance of individuals with mental retardation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a Greek traditional dance training program on the dynamic balance of individuals with mental retardation (MR). A total of 17 individuals participated in this study. Ten individuals with mild or moderate MR and 7 individuals with mild or moderate MR who studied in special schools were assigned to intervention (MR-I) and control (MR-C) groups, respectively. Pretraining and posttraining exercise tests were performed to determine the dynamic balance ability. Dynamic balance ability was measured by means of a balance deck (Lafayette, Lafayette, IN, USA) in 30-, 45-, and 60-second intervals. The MR-I group underwent a 16-week Greek traditional dance training program at a frequency of 3 times per week and for a duration of 45 minutes per season. Posttraining results showed that the individuals with MR in the MR-I group improved during treatment, from their baseline scores on dynamic balance measurements (30 seconds: p < 0.01, 45 seconds: p < 0.05, 60 seconds: p < 0.05). The MR-C group did not show any improvement between the 2 measurements. In conclusion, individuals with MR may be able to improve their dynamic balance when performing a systematic and well-designed Greek traditional dance training program.     

STAP dance

Systematic image screening at EMBO Press uncovers many problems, most of which can be resolved. Standardized pre‐publication image screening would make for a more reliable literature. Flagging putative image manipulation post‐publication remains an important control mechanism, but must not fall victim to an overzealous response. The STAP stem cell papers are a case in point.     

The effect of curculigoside on mouse model of perimenopausal depression

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of curculigoside on mice with simulated perimenopausal depression.MethodGavage with high, medium, small dose of curculigoside once daily for 30 d consecutive days. Record the related behavior index. The wet weights and viscera indexes of the mouse uterus, thymus, and spleen were measured. Half of the brain was homogenized and tested for 5-HT and DA concentrations. The levels of serum E2, T, FSH, and LH were measured as well. Finally, histological changes in the uterus, thymus, spleen, and hypothalamus were observed under a light microscope.Resultcurculigoside can enhance the activity and latency time of the mice, increase mouse memory, and decrease electric shocks and immobility times in the TST and FST experiments. Mice treated with curculigoside showed significantly enhancement in viscera indexes of the thymus, spleen, and uterus; significantly elevated levels of serum E2 and T; significantly increased brain 5-HT and DA concentrations; significantly decreased levels of serum FSH and LH; and improvements in the histopathological lesions of the uterus, hypothalamus, thymus, and spleen. The high dose of curculigoside produced the best results.ConclusionAll doses of curculigoside are associated with reversing hormone (E2, T, FSH, and LH) disorders in perimenopausal syndrome and adjusting imbalanced 5-HT and DA levels, representing a therapeutic effect in perimenopausal depression.     

The microtubules dance and the spindle poles swing

Using live imaging and computer simulation, Kozlowski et al. (2007) show that an interplay between spindle pole movements, microtubule dynamics, and microtubule bending contribute to asymmetric spindle placement in the C. elegans embryo.     

The spatial precision of the honey bees' dance communication

Many social insect species that employ directional recruitment to food finds communicate the location of their targets with seemingly needless imprecision. Here we present evidence that the spatial precision of the honey bees' dance communication has been tuned by selection so that recruits are neither so accurate that they usually find areas which have already been depleted nor so inaccurate that they usually fail to find the advertised resources altogether. First, the bees' distance errors are similar in magnitude to their directional errors, and their angular errors decrease greatly with increasing distance to the target (decreasing more than fourfold between 100 and 700 m). As a result, the absolute scatter of recruits remains relatively constant with changing distance to the target (increasing by less than 50% between 100 and 700 m). This is to be expected if the optimal level of imprecision is the same for distance and direction and does not change with the distance of the target from the nest. Second, comparative studies involving three tropical- and one temperate-zone species (all Apis)suggest that the precision of the bees' languages may have been tuned in accordance with the spatial characteristics of the resources each species uses. We suggest that both the round dance, which conveys no directional information for nearby targets, and the high angular divergence in waggle dances indicating targets within several hundred meters of the colony are both understandable in this context.     

The antidepressant-like effect of Ocimum basilicum in an animal model of depression

We investigated the efficacy of Ocimum basilicum (OB) essential oils for treating depression related behavioral, biochemical and histopathological changes caused by exposure to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in mice and to explore the mechanism underlying the pathology. Male albino mice were divided into four groups: controls; CUMS; CUMS plus fluoxetine, the antidepressant administered for pharmacological validation of OB; and CUMS plus OB. Behavioral tests included the forced swim test (FST), elevated plus-maze (EPM) and the open ?eld test (OFT); these tests were performed at the end of the experiment. We assessed serum corticosterone level, protein, gene and immunoexpression of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) as well as immunoexpression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Ki67, caspase-3 in the hippocampus. CUMS caused depression in the mice as evidenced by prolonged immobility in the FST, prolonged time spent in the open arms during the EPM test and reduction of open field activity in the OFT. OB ameliorated the CUMS induced depressive status. OB significantly reduced the corticosterone level and up-regulated protein and gene expressions of BDNF and GR. OB reduced CUMS induced hippocampal neuron atrophy and apoptosis, and increased the number of the astrocytes and new nerve cells. OB significantly increased GFAP-positive cells as well as BDNF and GR immunoexpression in the hippocampus.