Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Researchers Nearly Double the Size of Worker Ants

Posted by Soulskill on from the why-would-you-do-this dept.

sciencehabit writes: Researchers have nearly doubled the size of a handful of Florida ants by chemically modifying their DNA, rather than by changing its encoded information. The work may help explain how the insects—despite their high degree of genetic similarity—grow into the different varieties of workers needed in a colony.

2 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Keep em away from my house by omems · · Score: 5, Informative

    You're in luck then, cause they're not genetically modified. They're epigenetically modified (thru drugs).

  2. Re:Rather than what? by ClickOnThis · · Score: 3, Informative

    TFA and summary are correct: they did not modify the genetic code in the DNA. However, they did methylate the adenine and cytosine nucleotides. Presumably this changed the behavior of the DNA, but it did not change the base-pair sequences.

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.