Gene-edited mutant ants create chaotic colony

Published time: 11 Aug, 2017 17:43

© Patrick Pleul / Global Look Press

Scientists using radical new technology to create the first-ever mutant ants have been left stunned by the affect their experiments have had on the insects’ social life.
Researchers employed CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology in an attempt to overcome the complex social roles of two different kinds of ants. The plan was designed to create more ‘mother ants’ capable of giving birth to a future generation of mutants.

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In both species – Indian jumping ants known as Harpegnathos saltator and clonal raider ants Ooceraea biroi – the removal of genes that are crucial to the development of ants’ odor receptors resulted in a near