> Comparison of the honeybee genome to that of other insects revealed a number of interesting differences. Not a complete surprise was the identification of nine new genes linked to the production of royal jelly, which workers feed to the queen and larvae. These genes apparently evolved from a single progenitor gene which encodes a member of the ancient Yellow protein family.

> Similarly, the striking expansion of the odorant receptor family in honeybees (170 genes) relative to D. melanogaster (62) and the mosquito Anopheles gambiae (79) makes sense given the prime role of pheromones in communication and the need for workers to discriminate between diverse floral odors.

> These discoveries should help elucidate some of the bees' fascinating skills, which include precise memory of space and odors as well as the abstract modeling and linguistic abilities shown by the 'waggle-dance'.

-- 
from:
"Behavioral Genomics: A, Bee, C, G, T"
Current Biology Vol 17 No 2

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