61 pointsby gmays8 hours ago3 comments
  • skyberrys5 hours ago
    The chemicals in their nearby environment are what make the embryos develop into Queen bees. It makes one wonder what sort of nearby chemical environments do to human embryo development.
    • dcrazy5 hours ago
      Since human fetuses are usually encapsulated within the womb of an adult woman, they’re far more insulated from arbitrary chemical environments than bee larvae. But of course we know of many cases where chemicals make it through the mother’s body and into the fetus’s immediate environment, affecting its development: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fetal-alcohol...
      • Terr_2 hours ago
        > arbitrary chemical environments

        Temperature is another factor. IIRC amphibian embryos have to develop in a wide range of temperatures (an egg might be stuck to a leaf), so their cells have many more variants of proteins, where each variant is most-effective in a different temperature band.

        In contrast, a mammal blastocyst or embryo already has the multicellular mother keeping temperature within a narrower band.

      • skyberrys3 hours ago
        I guess having just read about the positive impact the bees have to develop into Queen bees I was wondering if there are positive chemicals a human female could produce to give better than average outcomes.
        • moi238813 minutes ago
          Folic acid, vitamin D, iron, calcium, iodine, omega-3
        • dimes2 hours ago
          Folic acid
  • slicktux4 hours ago
    I’ve always wondered what or how queen bees were made. It’s almost as they were a different insect.
  • dlev_pika5 hours ago
    Fascinating. Sharing with a beekeeper friend, thank you