Scientists achieve first behavior transplant between species
Scientists transferred courtship behavior between fly species by tweaking a single gene, triggering new behaviors.
Why it matters
- First time a completely unknown behavior has been genetically swapped between species.
- Shows how small genetic changes can redesign behavior at a species level.
- Could help understand how evolution creates new survival and reproduction strategies.
By the numbers
- Two fly species: Drosophila subobscura and Drosophila melanogaster.
- One gene manipulated: Fruitless (Fru).
- Nearly a decade of work by the Japanese team.
The big picture
- Fruit flies share around 60% of their genetic makeup with humans.
- Three in four human genetic diseases have a parallel condition in fruit flies.
- Research on fruit flies has earned six Nobel prizes to date.
What they're saying
- "We've shown how we can trace complex behaviors like nuptial gift-giving back to their genetic roots." - Daisuke Yamamoto, senior author.
- Comment themes include excitement about potential applications and the significance of the study.
Caveats
- The study was conducted in fruit flies, not humans.
- While promising, it's unclear how these findings will translate to other species or more complex behaviors.
What’s next
- Further research could explore if similar genetic tweaks can induce new behaviors in other species.
- Potential applications in understanding and treating human genetic diseases.