Do insects have brains? What do they usually think about?

The answer is yes, insects have brains . However, insect brains are very different from human brains. The human brain is mainly responsible for higher-level functions such as reasoning and decision-making, while the insect brain is more focused on performing basic functions (controlling the body to process information from the senses and coordinating movements) and survival instincts. It can be said that adapting to the ever-changing environment and finding ways to survive are problems that insects have to face every day when they open their eyes.

Compared with the human brain (composed of billions of neurons), the brain structure of insects is relatively simple (composed of hundreds of thousands of neurons). Moreover, unlike the “centralized system” of the human brain, the insect brain repeatedly adopts the management strategy of ” decentralization “ . That is, the breathing, activities and other behaviors of insects are all regulated by ganglia distributed throughout the body .

Example: A headless fly.

Flies don’t have a ” supercomputer ” that can fully coordinate the overall situation . They use a series of ganglia, or groups of nerve cells, to complete the control of various parts of the body. For this reason, even if a fly loses its head containing the main ganglia, it can still complete basic functions. But don’t worry, surviving decapitation does not mean that you will be safe. Because the head is still needed to support eating, a decapitated fly will eventually die of starvation .

Insects’ brains allow them to perceive the world through vision and smell. They use their brains to remember the location of food and nests, and use the odor receptors on their antennae to communicate effectively with colleagues and partners. It can be said that although insects’ brains are small, they still have all the necessary functions.

Example: bee

Bees are very smart insects. They can identify and locate flowers through vision, smell, electromagnetic signals, etc. Bees can also communicate the direction, distance and quality of flowers to their companions through dancing, thereby improving the efficiency of nectar collection. Studies have shown that bees can remember the locations of at least 200 kinds of flowers and optimize their nectar collection routes based on the opening time of the flowers and the amount of pollen.

Example: Ant

Ants are very smart insects. They are highly social and collaborative. The command of ants is not only reflected in individual individuals, but also in the entire ant colony. Ants can complete complex tasks through pheromones and simple communication. For example, finding food, building nests, defending against enemies, etc. Some scholars also believe that ants are super-conscious creatures . Their wisdom is shared by the entire colony, not determined by a single worker ant. The level of intelligence of ants may be far beyond human imagination, which is worthy of our in-depth study and learning.

In general, insects have brains that allow them to process sensory information and perform complex behaviors . They may also have rudimentary self-awareness and some emotions . Their thinking is mainly focused on things related to survival and reproduction . In addition, some species may also think about things related to their social interactions (communication, cooperation, or competition for resources). Extremely advanced species can even think about things related to their learning and memory , such as remembering where to find food or how to escape a trap.