New study reveals how male fruit fly decides to court or ignore female
Two fruit flies meet in an acrylic mating chamber and check each other out. It’s the insect version of speed dating for science. The male taps the female with his leg, which is studded with pheromone-sensing receptors. He then might doggedly follow her around and serenade her with a song by sticking out a wing and vibrating it. But before the male engages in this courtship ritual, he needs to make an important decision: Should he put the moves on this female or not? In a study published online July 5 in Neuron, scientists at Harvard Medical School (HMS) show that what tips the balance in favor of or against is a convergence of motivation, perception, and chance. The combination, the researchers found, powerfully influences the balance of excitatory and inhibitory inputs to a small region of the brain. It’s not about sex Understanding the mechanisms of insect choice, the research team said, could help...