Abstract:Social species, those that have a complex division of labor, comprise about two thirds of the earth's biomass. These social species-humans and social insects-are located at extreme points of the set of possible evolutionary paths. The queens of small social insects produce thousands of small larvae, whereas human females invest heavily in their children, who are born already with a very large brain. In spite of these and many other evident differences, social insects and humans have conquered the earth because… Show more
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