Stealth Beetles and Entrenched Symbiosis

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New research examines a newly characterized beetle species, Sceptobius, that lives in a symbiotic relationship with ant colonies, and finds that Sceptobius infiltrates ant colonies by developing an invisibility cloak—silencing its own pheromones in order to steal and mask themselves with ant pheromones. However, this makes the beetles dependent on the ants because without these protective chemical substances, the beetles will die. The work was done in the laboratory of Joe Parker, professor of biology and biological engineering, and is described in two papers appearing recently in the journals Cell and Current Biology. More info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/beetles-go-stealth-mode-to-infiltrate-ant-societies

Published 2026-02-09 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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