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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Biology of Microbial Communities - Interview
Published on: May 28, 2007
Deconstructing Superorganisms and Societies to Address Big Questions in Biology
Patrick Kennedy1, Gemma Baron2, Bitao Qiu3
1Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Social insect societies are long-standing models for understanding social behaviour and evolution. Unlike other advanced biological societies (such as the multicellular body), the component parts of social insect societies can be easily deconstructed and manipulated. Recent methodological and theoretical innovations have exploited this trait to address an expanded range of biological questions. We illustrate the broadening range of biological insight coming from social insect biology with four examples. These new frontiers promote open-minded, interdisciplinary exploration of one of the richest and most complex of biological phenomena: sociality.
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