The world of insects is often shrouded in mystery, but recent research has uncovered a fascinating phenomenon that could hold the key to understanding the survival strategies of bumble bee colonies. A new study from the University of California, Riverside reveals that even the mighty queens, sole founders of their colonies, take regular breaks from reproduction – likely to avoid burning out before their first workers arrive.

In the early stages of colony building, bumblebee queens shoulder the entire workload. They forage for food, incubate their developing brood by heating them with their wing muscles, maintain the nest, and lay eggs. This high-stakes balancing act is crucial, as without the queen, the colony fails. Researchers noticed an intriguing rhythm – a burst of egg-laying followed by several days of apparent inactivity.

The study’s lead author, Blanca Peto, observed this pattern early on while taking daily photos of the nests. “I saw these pauses just by taking daily photos of the nests,” she said. “It wasn’t something I expected. I wanted to know what was happening during those breaks.”

To find out what triggered the pauses, Peto monitored more than 100 queens over a period of 45 days in a controlled insectary. She documented each queen’s nesting activity, closely examining their distinctive clutches – clusters of eggs laid in wax-lined “cups” embedded in pollen mounds. Across the population, a pattern emerged: Many queens paused reproduction for several days, typically after a stretch of intense egg-laying.

The timing of these pauses appeared to align with the developmental stages of the existing brood. To test this, Peto experimentally added broods at different stages – young larvae, older larvae, and pupae – into nests during a queen’s natural pause. The presence of pupae, which are nearly mature bees, prompted queens to resume egg-laying within about 1.5 days. In contrast, without added broods, the pauses stretched to an average of 12.5 days.

This suggests that queens respond to cues from their developing offspring and time their reproductive efforts accordingly. “There’s something about the presence of pupae that signals it’s safe or necessary to start producing again,” Peto said. “It’s a dynamic process, not constant output like we once assumed.”

Eusocial insects, including bumble bees, feature overlapping generations, cooperative brood care, and a division of labor. Conventional thinking about these types of insects is that they’re producing young across all stages of development. However, Peto said this study challenges that conventional thinking about bumble bees, whose reproductive behavior is more nuanced and intermittent.

“What this study showed is that the queen’s reproductive behavior is much more flexible than we thought,” Peto said. “This matters because those early days are incredibly vulnerable. If a queen pushes too hard too fast, the whole colony might not survive.”

The study focused on a single species native to the eastern U.S., but the implications could extend to other bumble bee species or even other eusocial insects. Queens in other species may also pace themselves during solo nest-founding stages. If so, this built-in rhythm could be an evolutionary trait that helps queens survive long enough to raise a workforce.

Multiple bumblebee populations in North America are declining, largely due to habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate stress. Understanding the biological needs of queens, the literal foundation of each colony, can help conservationists better protect them.

“Even in a lab where everything is stable and they don’t have to forage, queens still pause,” Peto said. “It tells us this isn’t just a response to stress but something fundamental. They’re managing their energy in a smart way.”

This kind of insight is possible thanks to patient, hands-on observation, something Peto prioritized in her first research project as a graduate student.

“Without queens, there’s no colony. And without colonies, we lose essential pollinators,” Peto said. “These breaks may be the very reason colonies succeed.”

The article “Scientists find immune molecule that supercharges plant growth” has been rewritten to provide clarity, structure, and style while maintaining its core ideas. The rewritten version is as follows:

Unlocking Nature’s Potential: Scientists Discover Key Molecule to Supercharge Plant Growth

For years, researchers have known about a molecule called itaconate that plays a vital role in the human immune system. However, its presence and functions in plants remained largely unexplored – until now. Biologists at the University of California San Diego have conducted the first comprehensive study on itaconate’s functions in plants, revealing its significant role in stimulating plant growth.

“We found that itaconate is made in plants, particularly in growing cells,” said Jazz Dickinson, a senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. “Watering maize (corn) plants with itaconate made seedlings grow taller, which was exciting and encouraged us to investigate this metabolite further and understand how it interacts with plant proteins.”

The researchers used chemical imaging and measurement techniques to confirm that plants produce itaconate. They also discovered that itaconate plays multiple key roles in plant physiology, including involvement in primary metabolism and oxygen-related stress response.

Optimizing the natural benefits of itaconate could be crucial for safely maximizing crop growth to support growing global populations. “This discovery could lead to nature-inspired solutions to improve the growth of crops, like corn,” said Dickinson. “We also hope that developing a better understanding of the connections between plant and animal biology will reveal new insights that can help both plant and human health.”

The study, supported in part by funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, was published in the journal Science Advances on June 6, 2025. The findings have exciting implications for improving crop growth using nature-inspired solutions, while also offering fresh information for understanding the molecule’s role in human development and growth.

Standardizing Psychedelic Research: A Breakthrough in Understanding the True Potential of Mind-Altering Drugs

The use of psychedelics as potential treatments for mental health disorders has gained significant traction in recent years. However, a critical flaw in psychedelic clinical trials has hindered their progress – the failure to properly account for how a person’s mindset and surroundings influence the effects of these substances.

A group of international researchers from McGill University, Imperial College London, and the University of Exeter have tackled this issue by developing a set of guidelines to standardize psychedelic clinical trials. The Reporting of Setting in Psychedelic Clinical Trials (ReSPCT) guidelines are a 30-item checklist that represents the first global agreement on which psychosocial factors have the greatest impact on a psychedelic experience.

“For decades, we’ve known that psychedelics don’t work in isolation,” said co-lead author Chloé Pronovost-Morgan. “The person’s mindset, the therapy room, even the music playing all influence outcomes.” This approach challenges the traditional way psychoactive drugs are typically studied, where scientists try to control or eliminate outside variables to isolate a drug’s effects.

These guidelines recognize that context is crucial and should be studied directly. By offering a standard framework for evaluating and reporting these variables, the ReSPCT guidelines aim to make trial outcomes more consistent and comparable across studies.

Having clear guidelines for contextual considerations is essential to understand the effects of psychedelics and how they work differently from other psychiatric medications,” said co-senior author Leor Roseman. “Our guidelines will also help in replicating results and understanding the true therapeutic potential of psychedelics.”

The lack of standards has had consequences beyond the research lab, Pronovost-Morgan explained. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently rejected MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, citing inconsistent reporting across trials as a key reason for the decision.

“There is immense public interest in psychedelic therapies, particularly for individuals suffering from debilitating mental health conditions like PTSD, depression and anxiety, which have not responded to existing treatments,” said co-senior author Kyle Greenway. “Our guidelines offer a new gold standard for psychedelic research, helping bring these treatments to those who need them most.”

The research team is organizing a three-day workshop in October, funded by McGill’s Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives initiative, where leading experts in psychedelics and neuroscience will discuss how the guidelines can be integrated into research and clinical practice.