Physogastric termite queen (top left) of Macrotermes michaelseni being groomed by workers and the larger king, with soldiers in the foreground. Photo by Jan Sobotnik. Termites are among the most ...

Termites have existed on Earth for an estimated 150 million years, so it's little wonder that they have spread to every landmass except Antarctica. Commonly confused with ants, they are actually more ...

Termites did not evolve complex societies by adding new genetic features. Instead, scientists found that they became more social by shedding genes tied to competition and independence. A shift to ...

Learn more about termite evolution and how shedding key genes from their cockroach ancestors helped them build more complex colonies. When termites aren’t busy eating your nice wood flooring, they are ...