{
  "id": 18577132,
  "title": "A single-cell transcriptomic atlas of paper wasp brains highlights Kenyon cells' role in social behavior",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/a-single-cell-transcriptomic-atlas-of-paper-wasp-brains-highlights",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.05.760234v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking study has unveiled the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind social behaviors in paper wasps, focusing on the crucial role of Kenyon cells in the brain. Researchers conducted a single-cell sequencing analysis on 96,310 cells from four types of Polistes fuscatus wasps: foundresses, workers, gynes, and males. The study revealed that a significant portion of the Polistes brain consists of diverse Kenyon cell populations. These Kenyon cells exhibited varying gene-expression profiles and were influenced by factors such as sex, caste, and season. The authors also demonstrated that merely observing a social interaction triggered substantial transcriptomic responses in Kenyon cells, with some signatures overlapping with those induced by direct social interaction. This suggests that a shared neural program underlies both direct social interactions and social observation in these complex insects.",
  "summary": "Social insects provide unique opportunities for studying social interactions, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these behaviors are poorly understood. Here, we performed single-cell sequencing to profile the transcriptomes of 96,310 cells across four phenotypes of Polistes fuscatus paper wasps: foundresses, workers, gynes, and males, to determine how social states and social…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}