The coolest thing ever
I studied Genetics at university. A fascinating subject but one which, now 10 years later, I have practically lost/forgotten all knowledge of (for various reasons I won't go into), so if there are any biologists/geneticists amongst you please forgive me for any inaccuracies.

We had a series of lab sessions where we had to genetically modify the fruit fly Drosophila Melanogaster. There wasn't any real purpose to these modifications apart from it being a learning exercise, and the method used wasn't exactly elegant.

Drosophila is an excellent animal model for genetic manipulation for two main reasons a) Their cells do not have mechanisms to fix damaged DNA, and b) Their body is segmented (head, torso and, er, bum), and so mutations are often restricted to these segments.

The experiment was simple. First we exposed Drosophila larvae to high levels of UV light, before leaving them in glass beakers overnight.

UV light literally punches holes in DNA (which is how you get sun cancer, kids), and causes mutations. Because Drosophila cannot mend its damaged DNA, any larvae that survived gestation to adulthood did so, but with mutations.

The next day we were onto stage 2: observation. We got our beakers of Drosophila, pleased to note the little critters flying around inside, before knocking them out with ether. Science in action.

When examined under the microscope, some flies were merely a different colour, but some had:
- the wrong number of legs
- the wrong number of bums
- the wrong number of heads!

And yet they had been (until we gassed them with ether), buzzing around happy as larry.

The real experiment happened at the end of the session. Working at the back of the lab with the other miscreants, we'd been gradually gassing ourselves with ether too, and decided that the best thing ever, would be to release the mutant flies out of the window where they could be free! Free to produce their own little two headed babies! And, er, perhaps conquer the world, Evil Dead style.

It's extremely doubtful that any were capable of producing viable offspring, but I often wonder whether there are any multi-headed and multi-bummed fruit flies still out there somewhere.
( rofl harris, Fri 25 Jul 2008, 13:49, 4 replies)

You were lucky
I did genetics/microbiology and we only got to play with C.elegans (soil nematodes) where the most interesting mutation was that they rolled along rather than squirmed.
I would have loved to have played with our little fruit loving pals.

I can't say anything about any inaccuracies in your post 'cause I have also dumped 90% of what I learned. Have a click instead.
(Prof. Moriarty put his foot in it on, Fri 25 Jul 2008, 22:53, closed)

Sterility
The fruit flies tend to be of a certain breed that isn't common at all - yes they can produce offspring, but only with themselves. Not with wild fruit flies.
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Sat 26 Jul 2008, 16:17, closed)

Hmmmm...
Drosophila Melanogaster?

Don't you mean Drosophila melanogaster?

Ooooh, one-incorrectly-capitalised-letter-pedantry. The best kind.

I was always terrible at gassing them, and ended up killing them all. And spilling ether all over my partner's trousers.
(Rotten_Cointreau is a proper scientician, Mon 28 Jul 2008, 14:31, closed)

hehe
I bow down to your pedantry, Sir.
( rofl harris, Mon 28 Jul 2008, 15:29, closed)