Naked mole rats keep kingdoms underground. One queen bears all the children, while other mole rats maintain complex subterranean tunnels, forage for food, take care of newborns, and perform other necessary upkeep. This society hinges on the central pillar of a singular queen. For years, the prevailing view has been that succession in naked mole rat colonies is violent and chaotic. 

New research led by Janelle Ayres, PhD, suggests it does not have to be that way. Her team found that when reproduction is impaired in an established queen, peaceful succession is possible within an established naked mole rat colony. The study illuminates a new layer of social complexity for naked mole rats, which are important models in biomedical research on socialization, aging, adaptation, fertility, and more. The findings also help answer broader questions about biological resilience, potentially revealing principles that can explain human health and disease.

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