“That innocent question hit me like a lightning bolt." Scientist's two-year-old son inspires discovery of new type of worker honeybee
Researchers have identified a new class of worker honeybee, dubbed 'royal engineers,' that specializes in constructing queen cells. These bees use their bodies as living furnaces to manipulate wax, which has unique properties that may influence queen development.
Why it matters
This discovery challenges long-held assumptions about how honeybee queens are created, suggesting that the physical structure of the hive plays a more active role in biology than previously thought.
Inspired by a question from a toddler, researchers have discovered a new type of worker honeybee that helps to raise royalty. The find is reported in Nature .
The article reports on a scientific discovery published in Nature without political or social framing.
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