A fruit fly walked into a gay bar...

[fajrdrako]

Interesting article about fruit flies, genetics and bisexuality.

Gotta love those 51st century fruit flies.

Comments

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

Just heard an interview on As It Happens with Prof. David Featherstone (U of Illinois), one of the fruit fly researchers.

One quote: "It took us a year to do the experiment because we never believed it would work."

Also he's fairly horrified at the way it's being spun by some people -- particularly as a "cure" for homosexuality. He has "no idea" whether this will ever be applicable to humans. "It's a big leap" to assume the gene can control sexuality in humans.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, when you're talking about 'controlling' people it sounds very scary indeed. But it does reinforce my belief that we are all genetic soup and everything about us is a matter of our chemical compounds - which we are both born with and create as we go, with thoughts, actions, and feelings. In other words, if I did my exercises every day I'd be a better person - right?

I like that quote!

[nacbrie.livejournal.com]

I remember hearing about the 'gay fruit fly' gene a few years ago, and being fascinated by how they managed to preserve the strain (because, you know, it was a gay fruit fly gene). Research into the 'fruitless' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitless_%28gene%29) gene in Drosophila Melanogaster (fruit flies) has been going on since the early 70s (and the fact that it was once called the 'fruity' gene shows that even geneticists are capable of politically incorrect LOLs), but it has mostly established that geneticists <3 Drosophila. Big time.

Also he's fairly horrified at the way it's being spun by some people -- particularly as a "cure" for homosexuality. He has "no idea" whether this will ever be applicable to humans. "It's a big leap" to assume the gene can control sexuality in humans.

Good point - for one, we know far more about the genome and various genes of Drosophila than we do about our own genetic make up. One of the few things we can probably say about human homosexuality is that it isn't caused by a single factor; there are many different possiblities, including birth order, hormonal exposure in the womb, possibly genes like Xq28, and many many many many others...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think there's always a danger with this sort of research to say "it's true of gorillas/fruit flies/elephants/whatever, is it also true of humans?"

Usually it isn't.

But learning how genes work in general is fascinating.

[toraks.livejournal.com]

Was going to mention fruity. but you beat me to it.

But yes, there have a been quite a few genes that do this sort of thing -- mess with the neurons and change courting behavior.

Would you believe that the entire courting/copulation takes something like 40 minutes? And if they're interrupted in the middle they have to start over again?

Oh and if you keep the males away from females for a while and you throw them in together and then look back few minutes later, you'll catch lots of them copulating? Done that lots, it's kinda fun to see. (didn't do it just to catch them mating, but because I was trying to mate specific male genotypes to specific female genotypes)

Just trying to show off my fly knowledge, I did do my PhD with them. And yes, we geneticists LOOOOOOOVE our fruit flies. I miss them so much. Human neurons in culture, I spit on them. ;-p

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So how long do these little guys live? On average?

[toraks.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure. I think it's about 2-3 months. We didn't usually keep them that long.

They can go from egg (to 3 larval stages to pupal to adult to fertile adult) to fertilized egg in about 10 days, generation time -- which was more important for us! ;-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That's fast growing-up time, at least by my standards.

[toraks.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, definitely. the really short generation time is one of the huge advantages of using Drosophila as a genetic model organism. but I could list advantages forever... ;-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about fruit flies - except to chase 'em off my fruit.