Thursday, July 16, 2026
Science

Naked mole-rat queens produce an odorous chemical that ensures that only they can reproduce

An international team led by Dr. Gary Lewin, group leader of the Molecular Physiology of Somatosensory Perception lab at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, has discovered that the queens of naked mole-rat colonies release a volatile compound called isopropyl myristate, which induces temporary infert...

Naked mole-rat queens produce an odorous chemical that ensures that only they can reproduce
Image: Phys.org
An international team led by Dr. Gary Lewin, group leader of the Molecular Physiology of Somatosensory Perception lab at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, has discovered that the queens of naked mole-rat colonies release a volatile compound called isopropyl myristate, which induces temporary infertility in all other females in the colony.

Originally published at Phys.org

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