Clonal raider ants carrying and grooming larvae. Ants were tagged with colored dots to allow for behavioral observation. Credit: Daniel Kronauer

Many ant species have a queen, the member of the colony that lays eggs. The rest of the ants are divided into different roles that support the queen and the colony. So what ants become queens versus workers? Scientists found that the gene ilp2 that regulates insulin played a role in determining what ant becomes the queen. Their results were published in the journal Science.

[What is the origin of the word quark? Well, let us tell you the tale of particle physics, Aristotle, and James Joyce]

Biologist Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda, an author on that study, talks about how this gene works in determining a queen and what this can tell us about the evolution of societies in insects and beyond.

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The Genetics Of Becoming An Ant Queen - sciencefriday.com