Overview
- Researchers identified isopropyl myristate as a compound produced almost exclusively by breeding queens after profiling odors from hundreds of animals.
- Lab tests showed the molecule activates olfactory sensory tissue and brain regions tied to smell, linking scent detection to physiological change.
- Exposure to the queen’s chemical raised prolactin and lowered progesterone in non-breeding females, and those hormonal shifts were sufficient to block pregnancies in paired animals.
- When researchers removed queens and dosed entire colonies with isopropyl myristate daily, the usual violent succession fights did not occur and no new queens emerged while dosing continued.
- Key open questions remain about which receptors and neural pathways connect scent detection to hormone change and whether similar chemical control exists in other mammals, a topic of interest because isopropyl myristate is a common cosmetic ingredient and is found in human lactating secretions.