All Articles Tagged As: wasps

Helpful relatives key to the evolution of social insects (5/31/2008)

Researchers have shed light on a paradox of the evolutionary process that has existed since Darwin's time, why individuals will rear their siblings rather then reproduce themselves? ...> Full Article

Insects' 'Giant Leap' Reconstructed By Founder Of Sociobiology (1/5/2008)

The January 2008 issue of BioScience includes an article by biologist Edward O. Wilson that argues for a new perspective on the evolution of advanced social organization in some ants, bees, and wasps (Hymenoptera). ...> Full Article

Wasp genetics study suggests altruism evolved from maternal behavior (9/29/2007)

Researchers have used an innovative approach to reveal the molecular basis of altruistic behavior in wasps. The research team focused on the expression of behavior-related genes in Polistes metricus paper wasps, a species for which little genetic data was available when the study was begun. ...> Full Article

What Makes One Wasp Queen? Old Developmental Pathways Spawn Revolutionary Evolutionary Changes (9/17/2007)

When the larvae of the primitive social insect Polistes metricus, a paper wasp, slips into the quiet pupal stage, she doesn't know if she'll arise a worker or gyne (future queen) -- unless she consults with Arizona State University's social insect researcher Gro Amdam. ...> Full Article

New study rewrites evolutionary history of vespid wasps (3/5/2007)

Scientists at the University of Illinois have conducted a genetic analysis of vespid wasps that revises the vespid family tree and challenges long-held views about how the wasps’ social behaviors evolved. ...> Full Article