News Life

Suppress-the-mob gene found in queen termites

May help keep workers from illicit, royalty-threatening reproduction

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

Silencing one gene for a day weakens the grip a termite queen has on her throne. Or at least lets loose a lot of worrisome butting behavior among her subjects.

A worker in an Australian termite species pretty much sticks to its worker role unless researchers silence its queen’s Neofem2 gene.