Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 15 July 2026
15 July 2026
The simple chemical that keeps a mole-rat queen atop her throne — plus, how people approach new games.
By
Nick Petrić Howe &
Catriona Clarke1
The mechanism behind these strange mammals' extreme social structure has been a long-standing puzzle.
The scent of a single chemical, made only by the queen, alters hormone production in other females.
Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) queens produce isopropyl myristate, a low-volatility ester that high-ranking animals…
The bald, subterranean rats are the world's longest-lived rodent.
Long-lived naked mole-rats are eusocial: like ants and bees, they live in colonies led by a queen that is the only female that…
Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 10 July 2026
