Subterranean termite colonies are founded by a single king and queen. However, the king generally outlives the queen, and an optimal number of secondary termite queens must be produced to meet the reproductive needs of the colony. A recent study explains the chemical basis of this biological process.
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Bussell, J., Vosshall, L. Reprogramming a termite monarchy. Nat Chem Biol 6, 637–638 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.428
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.428