Fruit flies have a radical strategy for dealing with free radicals
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 - 13:21
in Biology & Nature
Oxidative stress affects all living organisms, and the damage it causes is believed to play a part in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions. Some animals have developed remarkable, even radical strategies for combating its effects. Researchers at EPFL observed that, under acute oxidative stress, flies belonging to the genus Drosophila, commonly known as fruit flies, remove and excrete damage-causing lipids, or fats, from their blood. The team has published its findings in the journal Immunity.