Prof. Tom Seeley, neurobiology and behavior, says he believes beehives operate similarly to brains.

Cornell’s Ithaca Manhattan Initiative in Neuroscience program promotes interdisciplinary study between Cornell’s Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medical College for selected graduate student.  

A recently published study by Weill Cornell indicates that researchers have wiretapped the elusive communication system of neurons, allowing us to pharmacologically boost signaling in cases of neurodegeneration, such as that associated with Parkinson’s disease. This work shows that one specific protein – cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) – hugely impacts the number of neurotransmitters conveyed to neighboring neurons.

Whether it be the proper diction of Shakespeare or the colloquialisms of the Jersey Shore cast, language and the ability to communicate is one of the defining characteristics of the human species. Without it, humans would not have been able to develop as a civilized race.