It seems that the lowly little honeybee has beat us to it and found the Fountain of Youth. New research at Arizona State University (ASU) has revealed that older honey bees can reverse age-related damage to their brains by resuming caretaking responsibilities usually tasked by younger bees. The study was published in the science journal Experimental Gerontology, and conducted by an international team from ASU and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
In order to discover this amazing result, the team of scientists first had to trick the older bees—who spend most of their time out of the nest foraging—into returning home and doing social tasks. They found that just this simple change in daily routine led to a big difference in the molecular structure of the bees’ brains.