The morphing cube is the Andalites’ most valued piece of technology. After someone has touched the cube, such as the Animorphs, they gain the power to morph into any animal. The catches: (a.) one must acquire the genetic code of an animal before morphing into it, which involves touching it and hence a possible risk to life and limb, and (b.) there is a two-hour time limit before one becomes a nothlit and is trapped in their morph forever. Andalite engineers have worked desperately to overcome these disadvantages but to no avail.
After a desperate fight, Jake’s brother Tom got the cube, and the Yeerks' Controller gained the power to morph.