- Alexandra Chittka: Anglia Ruskin University, Department of Life Sciences, East Road, Cambridge, CB1 1PT, UK. l.chittka@qmul.ac.uk
Social insects represent a unique model for how the same genome can give rise to entirely different phenotypes - soldiers, common labourers, and queens. New research on ants and honeybees points to DNA methylation as a crucial factor in determining the caste of a developing individual.