The Secrets of Royal Jelly

Uncovering the Secrets of Nature's Most Magical Substance
By Brandon Keim, Wired, 3/14/2008

Few substances in nature are more magical than royal jelly, a protein confection secreted by worker bees and eaten by bee larvae.

For the first several days of their lives, all larvae eat royal jelly; after that, most move on to nectar and pollen. They grow up to be sterile and short-lived workers, toiling tirelessly for the colony's greater good before dying after a few seasons. But a few lucky larvae stay on an all-jelly diet: they grow up to be queens, laying eggs and living for years.

What's so special about royal jelly? Scientists aren't sure -- but in a study published yesterday in Science, Australian National University biologists suggest that it's an epigenetic agent, activating genes in just the right combination for turning a would-be worker into a queen…