Drosophila

The effect of being exposed to light effected the phenotype of the Drosophila melangaster. The phenotype frequencies changed for both the red eyed and white eyed fruit flies (Figure 1). In the populations that were in complete darkness, the white and red eyed phenotypic ratio stayed almost constant throughout the whole experiment for both male and female fruit flies, which was shown with a “V” formation (Figure 1). This trend did not continue, though when it came to the phenotypic ratio for…

According to the observation made during the replication of Drosophila melanogaster chromosomes in 1973, the opening of Drosophila’s DNA double helix, known as replication forks (formerly named as eye forms) at a number of different sites were noted (Kriegstein and Hogness, 1974). The creation of replication forks…

The sequences shown above are the best hits from a BLAST search with (xl3). prbp3: third dsRBD of protamine binding protein, trbp3: third dsRBD of TAR-RNA binding protein, Dros: a dsRBD from a Drosophila protein of unknown function. DMStau, a type B dsRBD from Drosophila Staufen protein 4.4. Different activities between Xlrbpa and PACT In this work we could show that Xlrbpa inhibits human PKR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and that this inhibition is due to the RNA binding-ability…

Microevolution allows us to see a small scale of evolution over a short period of time. To visually see and test evolution we need organisms that adapt quickly and have short life spans. Fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, are model organisms in order to gather as much information within a short period of time. Fruit flies have a life span of about 2 weeks, and are low maintenance, making it easy to see several generations. (Varga, S. J., Qi, C., Podolsky, E., & Lee, D , 2014) According to…

Transferring to the University of Miami opened a fresh array of opportunities and career choices to make. At the beginning of my first semester, since I transferred form the honors program, I was invited to apply to the Reclaiming the American Dream Scholarship Program, which offered countless resources to expand my academic enrichment through research mentors, and the possibility to present at conferences. Still firm on my decision to study medicine, for the first time I considered doing…

In a new study published in the Journal of Functional Foods, researchers reveal how exposure to excessive amounts of green tea impaired the reproductive function of fruit flies, as well as the development of their offspring. While it is unclear whether the beverage has the same impact on humans, the team says their findings warrant caution against consuming large amounts of green tea and other nutraceuticals. Green tea is made from fresh leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Because green…

Drosophila melanogaster has been studied in genetic research laboratories for almost a century. Because the fruit fly has a short lifespan, a simple genome, and is easily made to reproduce in captivity it is a prime candidate for genetic research. (Patterson, et al., 1943) The major behavioral response noted in the fruit flies is that they tended to group together in clusters, as opposed to venturing off on their own into different sectors. D. melanogaster are attracted to food and will mate…

The concept of “blending” as championed by such scholars as Aristotle and Hippocrates states that any trait that an offspring receives is the average of both of its parents. This concept was widely believed until Mendel’s experiments. Incomplete dominance occurs when the heterozygous phenotype is an intermediate between both of the homozygous genotypes. This concept is demonstrated best through the inheritance of petal color in a snapdragon. In a heterozygote the phenotype would be pink, a mix…

If you asked me a year and a half ago what I wanted my vocation to be, I would have promptly blurted out: “Forensic pathologist.” If you ask me now, I will respond with: “I don’t know, it may change, but I’ve got an idea.” While my interests remain within the world of science, it’s still an entire world nonetheless. I have opened myself up to exploring new career paths within this world because of one factor during the end of my sophomore year of high school—exploring the unknown. I did not…

a small high school and pursued a degree in biology at the Pennsylvania College for Women where she graduated magna cum laude. After graduation she worked under Raymond Pearl, one of the founders of biogerontology, studying the aging process of drosophila to offset her financial difficulties. Carson lost interest in the lab very quickly but was lucky enough to be offered a summer fellowship in marine biology through John Hopkins University’s Master’s Program. During her time at JHU, she began…