Sign in / up

back to article Sex-starved fruit flies hit the sauce

Fruit flies that can’t get on the tail get on the sauce instead, according to a study from University of California San Francisco. It isn’t, however, simply because their misery sends them to the shot glass asking a handy pianist to “play it, Sam”: rather, it’s related to the brain’s reward signals. In particular, it’s about …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    bizarre

    A most bizarre article!

    0 0
    1. TRT Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: bizarre

      Yes, they've unzipped the flies and started rummaging around the human Y-front to see if there's anything there worth manipulating.

      And the beer glass because it's been four years and not a drop.

      0 0
  2. BlueGreen

    Ace article!

    Comprehensible, non-dumb, informative, ... FTW

    Thanks, author.

    2 2
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The male fruit flies should first give the female fruit flies the alcohol food. They would be more receptive to mating.

    3 0
  4. Steven Roper
    Facepalm

    And human nature being what it is

    the first thing I thought of was how this could be abused.

    "by activating its production, they were able to make the rejected flies act satisfied and curtail their drinking; and by suppressing it, sexually satisfied flies would behave as if they were deprived and drink more."

    So all we have to do to make the slaves happy and contented even though their deprived lives are utter shit, is to pump them full of this neuropeptide and BAM - instant happiness! And the anti-drinking, anti-drug, anti-fun Daily Mail crowd will love it: an instant cure for anything "addictive" like alcohol, tobacco, dope and and other drugs, and a way to make everyone instantly receptive to their PC worldview.

    Happiness is mandatory, citizen.

    1 0
  5. frank ly

    "Humans’ equivalent, neuropeptide Y, would be harder to manipulate safely, "

    I'd like to selflessly volunteer for dangerous experiments involving sex and drinking.

    3 0
    1. Richard Wharram
      Reply Icon

      Re: "Humans’ equivalent, neuropeptide Y, would be harder to manipulate safely, "

      ...and teleport machines.

      Yep, go have drunken sex with THAT !

      ...

      "Kill me."

      1 0

  6. This post has been deleted by its author

  7. puffspluslotion
    Pint

    While somewhat interesting, all fruit flies are relatively heavy drinkers. I used to raise Poison dart frogs and bred both Drosophilia melanogaster and Hydei for food. Without live yeast producing alcohol, the fruit fly cultures will quickly die off.

    1 0
  8. The Original Cactus
    Thumb Up

    You played it for her

    Thumbs up for the correct Casablanca quote.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.