International research team analyzes the genetic basis of ant evolution

The existence of ant colonies was a mystery even to the famous naturalist Charles Darwin. How could evolution produce workers that cannot reproduce? Darwin assumed that workers increase the reproductive success of their queen, thereby explaining the so-called reproductive division of labor: males provide sperm, which the queens store and use to fertilize eggs throughout their lives. Workers search for food, care for the brood and defend the nest, but do not reproduce.