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
Just one chemical is enough to maintain the status quo in naked mole rat colonies. Plus, the hunt for the origins of a…
The mechanism behind these strange mammals' extreme social structure has been a long-standing puzzle.
Naked mole rats live in colonies characterized by having a single breeding queen. It emerges that a queen-associated chemical…
A single chemical made by mole-rat queens enforces the social order.
A lone female maintains her status in the colony by hoarding her ability to reproduce.
The scent of a single chemical, made only by the queen, alters hormone production in other females.
