What obese fruit flies may tell us about the evolution of cold tolerance
Monday, April 10, 2017 - 14:31
in Biology & Nature
Researchers have hypothesized that migrations into higher, colder latitudes may lead to evolution of fast-burning metabolisms that keep cells warm in chilly conditions. In a new article, researchers show that a gene that has previously been identified as one of the key genes in humans that differs in people from arctic latitudes and people from tropical latitudes, helps flies burn energy from fat. When the gene is knocked out, flies become obese and burn less energy.