Mandyam Srinivasan of bee studies fame faces misconduct allegations

Mandyam Srinivasan of bee studies fame faces misconduct allegations

Sub: Sci

Sec: Msc

Context:

• Two scientists have flagged what they have called evidence of “problematic behaviour” in multiple scientific papers co-authored by Mandyam Srinivasan, an eminent scientist.
• The papers are concerned with the honeybee waggle dance, a mode of communication between bees that plays a crucial role in pollination.

About waggle dance:

• Bees use two kinds of dances to communicate information: the waggle dance and the circle dance.

Purpose:

• The purpose of either dance is to communicate to others the location of a flower patch with more nectar or pollen.
• One bee dances, while the others watch it to figure out the directions.

Pattern of motion:

• During a waggle dance, the bees move in a figure of eight formation.
• The waggle dance indicates both the distance and the direction to the patch.
• The straight line in the figure of eight formation is called the waggle run.
• In a circle dance, the bees move in a circle. It indicates only the distance to the hive.