Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Bee Birth

Update: video has been removed from youtube but you can watch it here.

This stunning video comes  from a collaboration between photographer Anand Varma and a honey bee research facility at UC Davis. I've read some articles (none of which I can find and link to now) suggesting that caring for small creatures (like insects) can increase demonstrated empathy in children. This video suggests a possible correlation to that: considering or witnessing organisms as "babies" making us more inclined to think positively or protectively of them.

In his TED talk below, you can hear Varma talk about the assignment that led him to keep and document bees and specifically the mites that threaten bees. This work is also an excellent example of how visualization (art, design, alternative presentations of information) can elevate our understanding of complex ecological systems and situations.