Honey bees gather in store energy in a way that is harmony with the rest of nature. It would be wise for humans to model the regenerative Secrets of the Bees.

Secrets 1-4: Physics and Laws

All living things follow the laws of physics in the pursuit of energy. Astrophysicist Chris Sparrow and I discuss the fortunate circumstances that create the conditions for life on Earth, energy transfer, the conversions of energy in sunlight into life, and the energy cost of powering living things.

Secret 1. Life is Lucky

“The conditions that support life are rare. Life is lucky.”

-Mother Nature

Domain: Physics

Branch: Astrophysics

Pattern: Luck (probability of life)

Secret 2: Light is Honey

"Energy from the sun radiates to Earth and is converted into sugar by photosynthesis. Sunlight is energy.”

-Mother Nature

Domain: Physics

Branch: Energy transfer

Pattern: Energy

(hydrogen->fusion->light->nectar->honey)

Secret 3. Honey is Life

“Sugar stores solar energy. This solidified sunlight powers cars, airplanes, your computer, the internet, everything you eat, and everyone who ever lived. Sunlight powers life. All living things are powered by sunlight - including you.”

-Mother Nature

Domain: Physics

Branch: Chemistry

Pattern: Organic chemistry (honey->life)

Secret 4. Time is Honey

“Life costs energy. Energy transfer costs time. Time costs energy.”

-Mother Nature

Domain: Physics

Branch: Thermodynamics

Pattern: Heat (time and energy)

Secret 4. Time is Money

“Life costs energy. Energy transfer costs time. Time costs energy.”

-Mother Nature

Domain: Physics

Branch: Thermodynamics

Pattern: Heat (time and energy)

Secrets 5-8: Biology and Adaptability

All living things must adapt to changing conditions. Biologist Hannah Mather and I discuss how honey bees and businesses gather honey and money efficiently by adapting to variability of energy, competition, seasonal forces, and work optimization.

Secret 5. Honey Grows on Trees

"Energy availability fluctuates, and it's important to acknowledge its potential abundance and scarcity."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Biology

Branch: Evolutionary Biology

Pattern: Variability (habitat)

Secret 6: We’re Not Playing Alone

"All living things compete for energy. This creates energy imbalances and energy optimizations in localized habitats."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Biology

Branch: Competitive Ecology

Pattern: Competition (survival of the fittest)

Secret 7. Honey Comes and Honey Goes

"Energy is available in a habitat based on cyclical variables. If these cycles are stable, it's possible to plan for periods of abundance and scarcity. Next winter is always coming."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Biology

Branch: Phenology

Pattern: Seasonality (cycles)

Secret 8. Moving Honey is Work

"It costs energy to move energy. Moving energy is work."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Biology

Branch: Cellular Biology

Pattern: Work (time, effort, risk)

Secrets 9-12: Psychology and Collaboration

Biological organisms that work together to gather energy follow principles of psychology. Olympic Coach Ram Nayyar and I discuss how bees and people display teamwork, plans, specialization, and communication in a way that increases the chances for winning the game of survival.

Secret 9. It Takes a Team

"Energy transfer is more efficient when teams work together to optimize time and work. This maximizes the rate of energy collection and storage."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Psychology

Branch: Organizational Psychology

Pattern: Teamwork

Secret 10: There is Always a Queen

"Since resources in a habitat are variable, the rate at which energy can be gathered and stored depends on the number of workers available, storage capacity, and teamwork. A plan maximizes effectiveness and efficiency."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Psychology

Branch: Cognitive Psychology

Pattern: Plan (perception, attention, memory, problem-solving)

Secret 11. Work Where You’re Strong

"It's better to focus on making the most of your strengths than to work on improving your weaknesses."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Psychology

Branch: Social Psychology

Pattern: Specialize (strengths)

Secret 12. Honey Talks

"Sharing knowledge improves the rate of energy collection and storage by reducing work and risk."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Psychology

Branch: Psycholinguistics

Pattern: Communicate (share knowledge)

Secrets 13-16: Economics and Preparation

All collaborative species follow the principles of economics to increase their chances of survival. Economist David Dorr and I discuss the importance of planning, storing honey and money, trading banked energy for time, and maximizing the rate of energy collection by developing forecasting models to ensure that the optimal number of workers are available to match energy supply with the capacity to gather and store it.

Secret 13. Planning Saves Honey

"It's important to divide up resources in a way that improves efficiency, makes decisions clearer, and uses assets as much as possible."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Economics

Branch: Microeconomics

Pattern: Planning (system dynamics

in the local habitat)

Secret 14. Stashing Honey is Storing Work

"Banked energy is stored work. It's smart to store enough work to power life during periods of scarcity."

-Mother Nature

Domain: Economics

Branch: Monetary Economics

Pattern: Storage (preserve work)