Bees to help scientists study alcoholic intoxication of humans

The molecular level of bee brains is very much like that of humans, so studying bees may help find out why some people become aggressive when they drink alcohol.

Do mild-mannered honeybees get just a happy buzz when they drink booze? That's one of the mysteries scientists are trying to solve in hopes of learning why some people who are normally cool and calm become aggressive and mean when they're loaded.

And believe it or not, &to=http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2002/02/19/26499.html' target=_blank>bee brains -- on a molecular level -- are very much like those of humans, so studying bees can help us understand ourselves, Dr. Julie Mustard, an entomologist at Ohio State University told Cox News Service.

When &to=http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2002/03/19/27068.html' target=_blank>honeybees get drunk, they become wobbly, just like people. They stick out their tongues. They spend less time flying and, if drunk enough, flip over on their backs and just wiggle their legs. Like us, bees get hangovers, but they suffer longer -- 48 hours or so, and not even a hair of the dog will help them. What's more, too much booze can kill honeybees, just like it can people, reports Seattle Post Intelligencer.