Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In most ant colonies, there are different types—or castes—of ants: workers, drones and queens. Researchers have discovered that you can have two ant eggs with the exact same genes, and one can grow up to be a large queen that lives a long life laying eggs, while another becomes a smaller worker that only lives a few months. How is this possible? It turns out that not just nature, but also nurture, determines the future for larvae. Neuroscientist and evolutionary biologist Daniel Kronauer joins Science Friday Host Flora Lichtman to explain what scientists know.
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Listen to the whole story on the SciFri podcast at
sciencefriday.com/segments/ant-queen-and-woodpeckers
Or get our free educational activity at
sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/how-do-ants-crown-a-queen
#STEMeducation #SciFri
In most ant colonies, there are different types—or castes—of ants: workers, drones and queens. Researchers have discovered that you can have two ant eggs with the exact same genes, and one can grow up to be a large queen that lives a long life laying eggs, while another becomes a smaller worker that only lives a few months. How is this possible? It turns out that not just nature, but also nurture, determines the future for larvae. Neuroscientist and evolutionary biologist Daniel Kronauer joins Science Friday Host Flora Lichtman to explain what scientists know.
------
Listen to the whole story on the SciFri podcast at
sciencefriday.com/segments/ant-queen-and-woodpeckers
Or get our free educational activity at
sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/how-do-ants-crown-a-queen
#STEMeducation #SciFri
