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Brown-red ants climb over a pile of white translucent larvae and orange pupae. Some use their mandibles to position the larvae.
Ant Pupae Feed Adults, Larvae with Secreted Liquid 
The molting fluid of ant pupae functions as “metabolic currency” in the ant colony and may have enabled the evolution of eusociality. 
Ant Pupae Feed Adults, Larvae with Secreted Liquid 
Ant Pupae Feed Adults, Larvae with Secreted Liquid 

The molting fluid of ant pupae functions as “metabolic currency” in the ant colony and may have enabled the evolution of eusociality. 

The molting fluid of ant pupae functions as “metabolic currency” in the ant colony and may have enabled the evolution of eusociality. 

social insects

ant with wings on white background
Secret to Reproductive Ants’ Longevity Revealed
Patience Asanga | Sep 2, 2022 | 3 min read
Researchers say they've figured out how some reproductive ants live up to 30 years—far longer than workers.
A black and brown ant stands over various sizes of whitish purple, oval shaped larvae and yellow, oblong eggs
A Single Transcription Factor Changes Ants to Queens
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 5, 2021 | 3 min read
The transcription factor can also drive the opposite transition depending on which hormone activates it, according to a new study.
Top Spider Biologist’s Research Under Fire
Amy Schleunes | Feb 10, 2020 | 2 min read
After the initial announcements of two retractions, scientists have mobilized to interrogate the data in nearly 150 of Jonathan Pruitt’s papers.
Image of the Day: Reprogrammed Ants
Emily Makowski | Nov 13, 2019 | 2 min read
Watch soldier ants behave more like foragers after scientists change their gene expression.
Image of the Day: Corn Fed
Catherine Offord | Nov 29, 2018 | 1 min read
Bumblebee colonies grow poorly in landscapes dominated by maize, researchers find.
Infected Ants Chemically Attract Workers to Destroy Them
Jim Daley | Apr 1, 2018 | 4 min read
Social insects kill infected individuals for the benefit of the colony—and now a study has shown how they know who’s sick.
Researchers Grow “Frankenstein Ants” to Study Epigenetics
Jeffrey M. Perkel | Oct 1, 2016 | 4 min read
A molecular biologist ventures into entomology to use genetically modified ants as laboratory models of behavioral epigenetics.
Methylation’s Role in Eusocial Insect Behavior Questioned
Catherine Offord | Jan 21, 2016 | 2 min read
Researchers re-examine the evidence for DNA methylation as the cause of behavioral differences among social insects.
Slippery When Wet
Jenny Rood | Jan 14, 2015 | 2 min read
Carnivorous pitcher plants gobble more ants by turning off their traps in dry weather.
The Genetics of Society
Claire Asher and Seirian Sumner | Jan 1, 2015 | 10 min read
Researchers aim to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which a single genotype gives rise to diverse castes in eusocial organisms.
Connecting the Dots
Anna Azvolinsky | Aug 1, 2014 | 8 min read
Extending her initial studies of social wasps, Mary Jane West-Eberhard has spent her career probing the evolutionary relationship between social behavior and developmental flexibility.
Genome Digest
Abby Olena, PhD | Feb 6, 2014 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
Week in Review: January 13–17
Tracy Vence | Jan 17, 2014 | 3 min read
Debating the origins of placental mammals; H. pylori-human coevolution; ant, bee, and wasp queens emit similar pheromones; profiling protein expression in single cancer cells
The Shared Perfumes of Queens
Ed Yong | Jan 16, 2014 | 3 min read
Ant, bee, and wasp queens emit a similar class of pheromones that sterilize their workers, hinting at a shared ancestry for these chemicals.
From Parasites to Protectors
Dan Cossins | Sep 9, 2013 | 3 min read
Socially parasitic ants can serve as protective symbionts for their fungus-growing hosts in the face of attacks by predatory raiding species.
 
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