Genome Buzz: Honeybee DNA raises social questions
By Susan Milius
Scientists have officially unveiled the DNA code of the western honeybee, the first genome to be sequenced for an animal with ultrastratified societies.
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The bees are among the select species in which a few individuals reproduce while others in the colony raise the young and do the chores.
The honeybee genome, the whole sequence of its DNA building blocks, shows some patterns that fit old ideas of social living plus some patterns that demand new thinking, reports the consortium of bee-genome researchers.