An ant queen mass produces cloned sons of ANOTHER SPECIES
This queen is from a species called “Messor ibericus”. A species means a population with its own gene pool (like humans and chimps, which split 6 million years ago and can’t interbreed). “Messor ibericus” and “Messor structor” split about 5 million years ago, so they’re different species too.
Here’s what was uncovered
- when the queen makes daughters, she mixes her DNA with sperm to create hybrids (normal)
But (!)
- when she makes sons, she ERASES her own DNA entirely. The result is males that are exact genetic CLONES of Messor structor (a completely *different species* !!)
- the queen has *stored sperm from another species* in her reproductive tract, and when she makes sons, she discards her own DNA and uses only the other species sperm’s genome
So the sons are literally cloned copies of another species’ males
This queen is from a species called “Messor ibericus”. A species means a population with its own gene pool (like humans and chimps, which split 6 million years ago and can’t interbreed). “Messor ibericus” and “Messor structor” split about 5 million years ago, so they’re different species too.
Here’s what was uncovered
- when the queen makes daughters, she mixes her DNA with sperm to create hybrids (normal)
But (!)
- when she makes sons, she ERASES her own DNA entirely. The result is males that are exact genetic CLONES of Messor structor (a completely *different species* !!)
- the queen has *stored sperm from another species* in her reproductive tract, and when she makes sons, she discards her own DNA and uses only the other species sperm’s genome
So the sons are literally cloned copies of another species’ males
• • •
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