How Epigenetics Can Affect Ants' Behavior (VIDEO)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Caption

Researchers Shelley Berger and Daniel Simola describe how they used epigenetics to change the behavior of ants. Ants have a structured workforce where smaller ones, called minors, tend to forage for food; larger ants, called majors, act as soldiers. By applying compounds to the brains of developing majors, the researchers were able to induce minor-like behavior in this group. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the Jan. 1, 2016 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by D.F. Simola at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, and colleagues was titled, "Epigenetic (re)programming of caste-specific behavior in the ant Camponotus floridanus."

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AAAS/Carla Schaffer

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