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Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens! In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years. However, in the ant world, this is indeed hair

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Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens!

In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years.

However, in the ant world, this does happen.

For example, a worker ant with a lifespan of 7 months can live up to 4 years once they become queens.

For entomologists, this has always been a mysterious question.

But now, a new study from New York University seems to have finally solved the mystery.

According to the study, the queen activated one insulin pathway for "reproduction" while blocking another insulin pathway that causes aging, thereby extending "lifespan."

This result goes against the law between "reproduction" and "longevity" found in nature.

Usually, when "fertility" increases, "lifespan" decreases, but...

In nature, leaving many offspring behind leads to a shortened lifespan.

It involves insulin, which converts the food you eat into energy.

Specifically, reproduction is very energy-intensive and requires more food than normal, leading to elevated insulin levels.

However, since insulin is also closely associated with accelerated aging, the more active the insulin signaling pathways required for reproduction, the shorter the lifespan.

On the other hand, restricting a diet inhibits insulin levels, so life expectancy is thought to be longer, and the findings have actually reported that "fasting is effective against aging."

Thus, there is a "trade-off" between an organism's fertility and longevity: if you want one, you have to sacrifice the other.

However, there are notable exceptions to this trade-off. That's Ali.

Life expectancy increased from 7 months to 4 years after becoming Queen

Queens are responsible for the reproduction (spawning) of the entire colony and live longer than any worker ant.

For example, in brown ants, sterile worker ants can only live for about a year, while queens can live for 30 years and lay 1 million eggs at the same time.

In addition, the lifespan of the Indian spade beetle, which was the subject of this study, is only 7 months, while the lifespan of the queen is 4-5 years.

This runs counter to the trade-offs between reproduction and longevity.

In addition, in the Indian spade beetle colony, when a queen dies, a strange phenomenon occurs, that is, female worker ants compete for the position of heir by pecking each other with touch, and duel each other.

Here is the duel.

Whoever wins this royal war will raise the caste (class) with the small body of the worker ant.

Queens who are promoted from worker ants are called "player gates".

Unexpectedly, the ants that became queens were able to lay eggs, and their lifespan was greatly extended from 7 months to 4 years.

Even stranger, when the queen is replaced by another queen (for example, when placed in a colony with an official queen), it reverts to a worker ant that cannot lay eggs and has a short lifespan.

This reversible state change is called "caste conversion."

So the research team targeted these Indian spades and explored the secret of improving fertility and longevity at the same time.

How to stop "aging" while gaining "fertility"?

The team took tissue samples from Gamagate (pseudo-queen) and worker ants of the Indian spade and analyzed in detail the brain, ovaries, fat bodies (liver) and other sites involved in metabolism and reproduction.

It was found that in order to lay eggs, the levels of insulin secretion in the brains of ants that transformed from worker ants to Gamagate increased.

This increased insulin activates one of the two main insulin signaling pathways, the MAPK pathway, which promotes metabolic and spawning activity.

On the other hand, the increase in insulin induces the development of the ovaries in Gamagate, which begins to produce an insulin suppressor protein called "Imp-L2".

Imp-L2 then inhibits the activation of another major insulin signaling pathway, the AKT pathway.

The AKT pathway is associated with the regulation of aging, and an increase in its activity levels has been shown to shorten lifespan.

In other words, inhibition of the AKT pathway means that aging is suppressed.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the Indian spade worm obtains both "fertility" and "longevity" by differentially regulating two insulin signaling pathways (MAPK and AKT).

The results of this study are very instructive for understanding the "reproduction" and "longevity" of other organisms.

Next, the team will elucidate the mechanism by which Imp-L2 (insulin suppressor protein) only blocks pathways associated with aging and not reproduction-related pathways. #所见所得, very scientific ##knowledge ##我在头条做科普 #

Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens! In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years. However, in the ant world, this is indeed hair
Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens! In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years. However, in the ant world, this is indeed hair
Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens! In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years. However, in the ant world, this is indeed hair
Uncover the secret of the increase in the "lifespan" of ants promoting queens! In the human world, it is impossible for anyone to be crowned "queen" and the life expectancy is extended to 300 years. However, in the ant world, this is indeed hair

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