Fruit Fly genome offers New insights

Amanda Dollman

Professor Gazdik

Bio-101-A

October 29, 2012

     “Fruit Fly Genome Offers New Insights into the Forces That Shape Genetic Variation”

Medical News Today recently published an article.  Fruit Fly Genome Offers New Insights Into The Forces That Shape Genetic Variation.   The goal of the research is to better understand the forces that shape genetic variation.  Drosophila melanogaster also known as fruit flies like humans, originated in Africa, and that’s where they show the most genetic diversity.  Flies that left with us tens of thousands of years ago when they want back to Africa they made new populations with flies that never left. Most of the theory and statistical methods in human genetics were originally motivated by studies of flies, because they’re easier and faster to work with.  The work reveals strong evidence of pervasion natural selection throughout the D. melanogaster genome. Compared to where human genomes show little adaptation over a hundred thousand years.  The study of fly genetics will help to better understand Human genetics.  Helping figure out how flies shape genetic variation will help relate this to us and more variety is good for the species of the human race, it makes us stronger.

I chose to write about this article because we have been talking about two methods of cellular reproduction.  We have been learning about asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction in my Bio- 101 class.  So when I heard the last two words Genetic Variation, this made me think of sexual reproduction because in comparison to asexual, sexual reproduction allows more variation on your genes.  What color your hair would be or perhaps the color of your eyes.  Therefore it made me very interested in reading this article.  I was very surprised to learn the close comparisons of human genetics to fly genetics.  How research on fly genome can help human genetics.  I also didn’t know we both originated in Africa and that’s also where we show the most diversity.  It’s amazing if you really think about it how many strains are out there.

Work cited:

n.p. "Fruit Fly Genome Offers New Insights Into The Forces That Shape Genetic Variation." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 16 Oct. 2012. Web.

27 Oct. 2012. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/251477.php