A team from the University of Pennsylvania led by Professor Shelley Berger has developed technology to reprogram ants to change their behavior. In the future, a similar system can be quite successfully applied to people. Writes about this The Daily Mail.
Ants have collective intelligence, but their individual individuals can be completely reprogrammed by changes in the settings of their genes. Experts are confident that such mechanisms can be successfully used in the future to control the behavior of large animals and even humans.
Scientists have developed a system for switching genes without the need to constantly change their DNA. They found that such manipulations made it possible to reprogram the ants and change their habitual behavior, including changing their occupation. So, larger ants are usually engaged in hunting, and individuals of a smaller size are usually engaged in household issues, including caring for larvae. However, the researchers were able to "force" them to switch roles.
The experts used a piece of DNA in the form of spherical proteins called histones. By using the acetylation process, they were able to open up DNA strands, making it easy to "rewrite" genes. They also used the CBP protein, which is involved in learning and memory functioning.
According to experts, the fact that SVR plays a key role in establishing various forms of social behavior of ants suggests that this discovery may have far-reaching implications for understanding social organization and other creatures. One day, this technology could be used on humans as well.