Scientists at the University of Toronto found that by genetically tweaking fruit flies so they failed to produce a particular type of pheromone or odour, it turned them irresistible to their species.
— Read more at Scientists create 'sexual tsunami' at the UK Telegraph.
Now, if they could just genetically tweak them in the opposite direction so there’d be fewer OF them….
LOL!!
I second that!
LOL! True.
Especially in Toronto… I swear there’s an infestation at the end of every summer!
I’m going to be giggling to myself about this all day. I can’t help but wonder what practical applications this has, or if the scientists just got high one day and someone said, “You know what would be awesome? If we removed the pheromones from fruit flies…Why? Because we CAN, dude! Because we can!”
HA…hope it had more of a purpose than that, but it’s nice to imagine!
You can imagine the future perfume ad copy: “Drive your man wild. Attraction, by New Industrial Perfumes. Does not contain pheromones.”
Or “masks your own (bad) pheromones…”
I am a scientist and just saw this group present this work at a conference a couple of weeks ago. It is very exciting work with important evolutionary implications, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that what really won my heart was the presenter (a darling Swiss man) talking about *perfuming flies*! They roll them around in a small tube lined with the “scent,” not unlike how I think some of our undergrads apply their tooth-achingly sweet fruity florals.
Oh what fun, thanks for posting!
If they also put lipstick on them and dress them up in little outfits, then I still stand by my original statement.
Excellent!
Robin- Thanks for the post. Brought a much needed chuckle to my day. As for the article, of course we have a more complex ritual. Can you picture a fruit fly pondering the thought of where to take a date for dinner? I think the apple might be good. No!Wait! That half eaten pear over there might get me some action later. LOL.
Glad you enjoyed it!