{
  "id": 4777510,
  "title": "Higher rewards lead to more accurate flower detection and increased contrast sensitivity in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/higher-rewards-lead-to-more-accurate-flower-detection-and-increased",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.26.747241v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Research into the visual perception of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) has revealed compelling evidence of a top-down attentional system comparable to that found in vertebrates. These insects were trained to gather rewards under high-contrast targets, with one group receiving a higher concentration of sucrose than the other. The study found that bees receiving the higher reward exhibited more accurate target detection, lower contrast thresholds, and faster initial choice making. The introduction of the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid into the sucrose rewards impaired bee accuracy but did not affect the time taken to make a first choice. These findings suggest that learned floral rewards can modulate contrast sensitivity in bees akin to vertebrate top-down attention, while imidacloprid may exert its influence through nervous system effects.",
  "summary": "In vertebrates, top-down visual attention is a cognitive process where internal goals modulate the tuning of peripheral sensory systems. This leads to increased perceived contrast to both goal-relevant objects and areas of the visual field that are attended. Such a system would also be beneficial to bees, enabling them to detect and recognise the most profitable flowers in their environment. We…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}