Scientists have now found a way to make fruitflies switch sexual orientation. Yes, they can make even the straightest of fruitflies gay.
In the world of fruitfly sex, girls just aren't that interested. And the males are just plain horny. They try to get with the ladies, do the horizontal mambo, but they only succeed every now and again.
There is a single gene that scientists can alter that produces wild results. Take this gene from the male and put it into the female, and your female fruitfly becomes a sex-crazy floozy. And get this, she's not giving the males any action. Yes, that's right, it's girl-on-girl fruitfly action. And the female will only try to have sex with the male if he's covered in female scent. Put the female gene in the male and what do you get? A fruitfly who suddenly cherishes the other things in life.
That's awesome!
Posted by: Sylvie Thao at June 3, 2005 12:49 AMThe big and serious question behind this and other studies is whether a similar mechanism is at work in humans, therefore making sexual preference not an issue of unfettered choice, but one perhaps strongly influenced by genetics.
Posted by: Tim G. at June 6, 2005 10:22 AM