Lars Chittka tells us in an entertaining way about the wonders of natural intelligence even in tiny animals.
Bees develop fascinating abilities in a swarm, but are also amazingly intelligent as individuals. New groundbreaking research shows that they think and feel, that they have personality, if not consciousness. Bees count, recognize human faces and use tools, they solve problems by thinking and react individually to external stimuli. And they do all this with completely different sensory organs: thanks to their compact nervous system, they navigate precisely and store information, their antennae are as multifunctional as Swiss knives.

The new standard work on the bee

• Tracking down the consciousness of an insect for the first time
• The latest findings in bee research

Lars Chittka, born in Bad Homburg, did his doctorate in Berlin under Randolf Menzel and has been Professor of Sensory and Behavioral Ecology at Queen Mary University of London since 2005. He conducts research in the fields of entomology, evolutionary biology, cognition, sensory ecology and behavioral biology. He is particularly interested in models of insect-plant interaction, especially the intelligence of bees and bumblebees.

"For an introduction to the wonders of bee intelligence, we couldn't wish for anyone better than Lars Chittka." Frans de Waal

Moderation: Micha Kreitz, Lit.Eifel advisory board member

Time: 7 p.m., 6 p.m. Admission
Cost: €12 adults, €6 reduced
Venue: Mechernich, Gymnasium am Turmhof, Nyonsplatz 1
Info tel.: 0651. 9790777
www.lit-eifel.de