Genetic diversity is essential to the survival of a species. It’s easy enough to maintain if a species reproduces sexually; an egg and a sperm combine genetic material from two creatures into one, ...

In most of the animal world, there’s a sad trade-off to make: The more babies you have, the shorter you live. But ants buck the system. The queens — the only individuals in a nest that reproduce — ...

A queen Oecophylla smaragdina ant Didier Descouens via Wikimedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 Small animals don’t usually grow very old. Since they’re always at risk of becoming another critter’s quick snack, ...

Researchers have discovered the genetic basis for a quirk of the animal kingdom -- how ant queens produce broods that are entirely male or female. Researchers have discovered the genetic basis for a ...

New research on ants has shown a first in insects: the ability to shrink and then regrow their brains in a big way. It relates to how these particular ants, called Harpegnathos saltator, or the Indian ...

In many animals, having many offspring is linked to a shorter lifespan. This is largely because animals that bear many offspring allocate nutritional and metabolic resources for reproduction at the ...