InDRC 2015 – The Tradition of Drosophila Research in India has Attained a Critical Mass

Abstract

Drosophila, the dew flies, are so named because of the buzz of these nearly invisible insects encountered during a walk on the early morning dew covered grass. They feed on fermented organic matter, fruits and vegetables, and, therefore are also called fruit flies. They are found almost all over the tropics and subtropics. A chance encounter followed by a systematic research by pioneers, Thomas Hunt Morgan and his colleagues, in the ‘Fly Room’ of Columbia University, during the early 20th Century has made a particular species of the Mediterranean fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, the darling of nearly 7000 laboratories worldwide. These flies are now literally buzzing around the world, jet-setting the pace of biological research in a broad variety of wideranging topics evolution, genetics, cell and developmental biology, neurobiology and many others. The underlying causes of a variety of human diseases are also studied in these insects to fast-track the discovery of underlying factors and possible cures.