Imagine a superhero whose power is releasing an odor so strong their enemies stop fighting. For naked mole-rats, such power lies with the queen.
A potent compound allows naked mole-rat queens to control their colonies, researchers report July 15 in Nature . Individuals exposed to the odor will not fight or mate until the queen and her scent are gone.
Naked mole-rats live in cooperative societies where a single female reproduces while others forage and care for offspring. The queen maintains her status by repressing the sexual activity of everyone else. When she dies, high-ranking members become sexually active and will fight viciously to crown…
Read the full article at SCIENCENEWS.ORG
