Caffeine enhances memory In Bees!

Honey bee extracting nectar from a flower. Image credit: John
Severns via Creative Commons.

We all know what a cup of coffee can do ^__ it instantly stimulates the body and mind and keeps us mentally alert and awake. The anti-oxidant caffeine present in coffee improves the insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism apart from preventing cell damage. Effects of caffeine on human memory are unclear as some studies indicate caffeine impairs the short-term memory and working memory whereas the others contradict these results. Researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have found that caffeine boosts the memory in bees. In an article published in this week’s Science magazine, Wright et. al have shown that the honeybees, which received a natural dose of caffeine displayed preferential selection for the nectar present in the flowers when pollinating and were three times more likely to remember a learned floral scent than those which received sucrose alone (Science 8 March 2013: Vol. 339  no. 6124  pp. 1202-1204 ).