Despite their tiny size and short lifespan, fruit flies are familiar test subjects in labs because they can show us a lot about ourselves, particularly in terms of genetics. And in a study for Current Biology, a team led by Anita Devineni found that the insects have another thing in common with people—they like alcohol, sometimes a little too much. The scientists started by giving their test subjects a choice.
Flies held inside vials could sip from thin tubes holding either liquid food spiked with 15 percent ethanol or plain liquid food. The researchers measured the descent of the liquids inside each tube to get a readout of which food the flies preferred [Science News]
. It was no contest:
The flies preferred the alcohol-spiked food, and the more they had it, it seems, the more they craved it—the flies' tipples grew more frequent over time [National Geographic News]
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