What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Mind of a Bee’ by Lars Chittka

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Updated 08 June 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Mind of a Bee’ by Lars Chittka

Most of us are aware of the hive mind—the power of bees as an amazing collective. But do we know how uniquely intelligent bees are as individuals?

In “The Mind of a Bee,” Lars Chittka draws from decades of research, including his own pioneering work, to argue that bees have remarkable cognitive abilities.

He shows that they are profoundly smart, have distinct personalities, can recognize flowers and human faces, exhibit basic emotions, count, use simple tools, solve problems, and learn by observing others. They may even possess consciousness.


What We Are Reading Today: Writing Timbuktu

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Updated 25 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: Writing Timbuktu

  • In “Writing Timbuktu,” Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa

Author: Shamil Jeppie

Printed books did not reach West Africa until the early 20th century. And yet, between the 15th and 20th centuries, literate and curious readers throughout the region found books to read — books that were written and copied by hand.

In “Writing Timbuktu,” Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa.

Centering his account in the historic city of Timbuktu, Jeppie explores the culture of the “manuscript-book” — unbound pages, often held together by carefully crafted leather covers.