Nature Podcast Briefing chat: How hovering bumblebees keep their cool
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Feb 20, 2026 A study tracks how brain connectivity patterns diverge around puberty, contrasting structural and functional measures and debating nature versus nurture. A clever experiment uses dry ice fog to show how hovering bumblebees create downdrafts that can cool their abdomens by several degrees. The conversation touches on implications for other pollinators and possible climate impacts.
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Sex Differences Grow After Puberty
- fMRI snapshots of 1,286 people show brain sex differences grow markedly at puberty and continue changing with age.
- Differences include stronger cerebellar interhemispheric connections in older men and greater default mode network connectivity in women.
Biology and Experience Both Shape Brains
- The authors caution that observed differences may reflect hormones, social roles, education, or life experiences rather than only sex at birth.
- Brain plasticity and environmental factors could shape connectivity linked to mental-health patterns.
Brains Are Mosaics, Not Two Types
- Researchers suggest brains form mosaics of features rather than falling into two distinct male/female categories.
- This undermines simplistic sexual dimorphism models and supports individualized approaches to diagnosis and treatment.