德国海因里希·海涅大学杜塞尔多夫分校、科隆大学和法兰克福/美因茨大学的研究人员发现了蜜蜂大脑中控制工作分配的隐藏神经开关[1]。通过操控doublesex基因并抑制特定神经回路的活动，研究团队成功改变了老龄蜜蜂的行为，使其恢复年轻蜜蜂的护理蜂王职责，而非执行其通常的年龄相关工作[1]。这项研究发表于《美国国家科学院院刊》2026年第123卷第29期[1]。
该发现揭示了拥有约100万个神经元的蜜蜂大脑如何协调复杂的分工体系，而无需中央计划者的指挥[1]。
Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, the University of Cologne, and Frankfurt/Mainz University have identified a hidden neural switch that controls how honeybees are assigned their roles within the colony [1]. By manipulating the doublesex gene and suppressing activity in specific neural circuits, the team successfully altered the behavior of older worker bees, causing them to resume the queen-care duties typically performed by younger bees rather than executing their normal age-related tasks [1].
The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July 2026, reveal how bee colonies organize their complex division of labor without centralized planning [1]. Despite possessing only around one million neurons in their brains, honeybees rely on discrete neural mechanisms to coordinate their workforce, with job assignment in these colonies governed by specific genetic and neurological switches [1].