After my last post documenting my war on fruit flies, a nagging thought kept rambling around in the back of my mind. Then it came to light.
I remembered long ago hearing a bizarre fact that I had buried. So with the power of the Google, I went down the Internet rabbit hole.
I remembered something vague about humans and fruit flies sharing DNA. As I scurried down the rabbit hole, I was a bit astounded. Did you know we share 61% of the same DNA as a fruit fly? Yikes. I had just spent a week murdering distant cousins.
Because of this large amount of shared DNA, NASA will actually be breeding fruit flies on the International Space Station to help scientists gauge the effects of space travel on humans?
They will have their own habitat which I found comforting. I would hate to be trapped with free roaming fruit flies in space. They will begin their journey as eggs, hatch en route and arrive at the space station in larval form. They will orbit the earth for 90 days. Scientists hope to discover what changes will occur in the little astronauts so they can predict how humans will survive space travel.
Besides being baby astronauts, nearly 75% of genes that cause disease in humans are found in fruit flies, making them good models for the study of human disease.
OK, I can't un-kill all those I wiped out two weeks ago. But will I now practice catch and release?? Doubt it for they are so light weight that you can't even swat them. The breeze from your hand or rolled up newspaper blows them out of danger before the blow can strike.
I will however continue to keep from breeding my own little astronauts with hyper cleanliness.
Ever find out something you loathe actually has a useful purpose?
Astronauts or not...they're pests. As with everything, there is a purpose, but I still don't have to like 'em.
ReplyDeleteAnni,
DeleteIt doesn't make me like them more, just hate them less:)
Oh Patti... thanks for the chuckle this morning! Distant cousins to these little buggers, who knew?? 😄😄
ReplyDeleteDoug,
DeleteGlad you enjoyed. Luckily we don't have to put them on our Christmas card list.
I find DNA studies fascinating, Patti. I read somewhere that no two humans on this planet are further related than 50th cousins. My mind has a hard time grasping that claim. Anyway, Happy Halloween, 'cousin'.
ReplyDeleteFlorence,
DeleteGoodness, we must have millions of cousins. Glad you are one of mine.
Well, that is truly interesting. We really are all interconnected in this web of life.
ReplyDeleteWho knew? That will still not stopping me from drowning them in apple cider vinegar. Happy Halloween, dear friend! :-)
ReplyDeleteDjan,
DeleteHappy Halloween back at ya.
Me to on drowning, but now I will cast a glance at the bodies and say "Sorry".
Well that really surprised me this morning. The little fruit fly and I are distant cousins. A scientific fact that I would have never guessed. Thank you for that truly interesting and enlightening news. No wonder we enjoy the same foods!
ReplyDeleteRobin,
DeleteIt is kind of amazing isn't it? You had me laughing at our liking the same foods.
That's really interesting! Since your last post I declared war on my gnats but they are not attracted to the soap and vinegar traps like your fruit flies. I did local their source in a plant I brought in when the weather got cold. I removed all the dead leaves where they were laying eggs. But the war is not over. I'm thinking of covering the entire thing with a plastic bags so I can catch a lot of them at once before they get all over the house.
ReplyDeleteJean,
DeleteSo sorry it didn't work. Gee I hope we aren't relate to gnats too:) Good luck on your battle.
I find that so unbelievable! So, they get cancer, too? How about HIV/Aids? Or pneumonia? Well, whatever, I am glad there are no fruit flies in my house. Distant cousins or not, they are pests.
ReplyDeletegigi,
DeleteYes Pharma does use the fruit fly to help study diseases like Cancer and Parkinson's disease. Yes, they are still pest to us. Just like the rats that aren't lab rats are.
Who knew? So what happens to the wee astronauts at the end of 90 days? I'm thinking RAID. I'm assuming one wouldn't want them to continue breeding because at some point, you know someone is going to let some of them out of their habitat. Can you just imagine how many of the little suckers there would be if left to their own devices. I can see why they are used in experiments - breed quickly and no one wants them. :)
ReplyDeleteEileen,
DeletePretty sure retirement isn't on the schedule for the little astronauts. You stated perfectly why they are such good subjects. Kind of like lab rats.
This is fascinating and I didn't know anything about it! It's hard to believe that we're so interconnected. (and that fruit flies have any purpose at all except to annoy)
ReplyDeleteMargaret,
DeleteHa ha, they have perfected that annoying trait to a science.
Good grief! Who would have thunk it? Fruit fly astronauts? When I mentioned your fruit fly post to Art he was happy you got rid of them. He says that's what killed the fruit crop on the Big Island. He remembers how they used to have lots of fruit on the trees and then fruit flies came, probably from fruit brought over from elsewhere. After that most of the fruit had bugs in them. And I guess all the islands have them now.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteKay,
DeleteThat is terrible and the way they multiply, I can see how they could do a lot of damage. I remember that happening in Florida and how billions were spent to try to get rid of them.
Sharing DNA probably explains those people who flit about all day from one thing to another without ever settling down to just one thing.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
DeleteGood thing the human flitters aren't as destructive as their tiny cousins:)
That is amazing. I had no idea. Glad they have their own area in space. Not a roommate I would want. LOL!
ReplyDeleteSuz,
DeleteI know, I had them as roomies for a week and that was a week too long:)
61%? Wow, I admit that shocks me!
ReplyDeletePeg,
DeleteYes, me too. Can you imagine trying to map the DNA of a creature the size of a pencil point?
That was really interesting. I had no idea and the bit about diseases is astounding.
Delete