Headline Of The Week Weak

Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Headline of the Week

"Scientists Make Fruit Flies Gay, Then Straight Again"

Crikey! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.

Scientists Make Fruit Flies Gay, Then Straight Again

While several studies find homosexuality in humans and other animals is biological rather than learned, a question remains over whether it's a hard-wired phenomenon or one that can be altered.

A new study finds that both drugs and genetic manipulation can turn the homosexual behavior of fruit flies on and off within a matter of hours.

While the genetic finding supports the thinking that homosexuality is hard-wired, the drug finding surprisingly suggests it's not that simple.

In fact, homosexuality in the fruit flies seems to be regulated by how they interpret the scent of another.

Dramatic result

Homosexuality is widespread in the animal world. But scientists have long debated whether, in humans a "gay gene" exists.

Previous research in humans has suggested that how we interpret scents given off by another person might impact our sexuality.

In the new work, University of Illinois at Chicago researcher David Featherstone and coworkers discovered a gene in fruit flies they call "genderblind," or GB. A mutation in GB turns flies bisexual.

GB transports the neurotransmitter glutamate to brain cells. Altering levels of glutamate change the strength of nerve cell junctions, called synapses, which play a key role in human and animal behavior.

Post-doctoral researcher Yael Grosjean found that all male fruit flies with a mutation in their GB gene courted other males.

"It was very dramatic," Featherstone said. "The GB mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female. They even attempted copulation."

Overreaction

Other genes are known to alter sexual orientation, but most just control whether the brain develops as genetically male or female. It's not known why a male brain does male things and a female brain acts in female ways, Featherstone and his colleagues say.

"Based on our previous work, we reasoned that GB mutants might show homosexual behavior because their glutamatergic synapses were altered in some way," Featherstone said. "Homosexual courtship might be sort of an 'overreaction' to sexual stimuli."

To test this, the researchers genetically altered synapse strength, independent of GB. They also gave flies drugs to alter synapse strength. As predicted, they were able to turn fly homosexuality on and off, within hours.

"It was amazing. I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired," Featherstone said. "This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

Sense of smell

The team figured fly brains maintain two sensory circuits: one to trigger heterosexual behavior and one for homosexual. When GB suppresses glutamatergic synapses, the homosexual circuit is blocked, the thinking goes.

So they did more tests. As expected, without GB to suppress synapse strength, the flies no longer interpreted smells the same way. The smells in question come in the form of pheromones, chemicals that affect sexual behavior in much of the animal kingdom.

It is not known, however, to what extent human attraction is affected by pheromones. A study in 2005 found that when smelling a chemical from testosterone, portions of the human brains active in sexual activity were turned on in gay men and straight women, but not in straight men.

But at least among fruit flies, "pheromones are powerful sexual stimuli," Featherstone said. "As it turns out, the GB mutant flies were perceiving pheromones differently. Specifically, the GB mutant males were no longer recognizing male pheromones as a repulsive stimulus."

The research was published online today by the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Posted: Dec 10, 2007 at 4:40 pm / Email this »

See All 157 Comments

157 comments to “Headline Of The Week Weak”

More comments: [1] 2 »

ashley says – reply to this

1

first
Stephanie says – reply to this

2

speechless
ms smith says – reply to this

3

first u next perez
ms smith says – reply to this

4

first u next perez
sassy says – reply to this

5

Wow. interesting.
dani says – reply to this

6

soon they'll be able to genetically alter gays so that they're straight… and then male figure skating will cease to exist
ste says – reply to this

7

FIRST
horny says – reply to this

8

huh weird………….FIRST i guess
drt says – reply to this

9

This is ridiculous… everything doesn't haven to be straight or gay!
e says – reply to this

10

haha
Becca says – reply to this

11

Interesting..
i fucked my friends man says – reply to this

12

first????????? run perez cuz u next
spoofER says – reply to this

13

3rd?
Mizz Thang says – reply to this

14

WOW THAT IS SOO WIIIIEEEEEERRRRRDDDDDD!
JAS says – reply to this

15

:o
jackerz says – reply to this

16

just another thing for crazy christians to rant about
not*chris*crocker says – reply to this

17

*sigh* yeah, whatever…..I didn't know homosexuality was something that needed to be cured. Isn't there something better for them to focus on like, ummmmm….CANCER!?!?! AIDS!?!?!
BGB says – reply to this

18

Re: dani – Re: dani –

LOL
ricky says – reply to this

19

first biyotches!!!
LINDSEY:) says – reply to this

20

hey!,
this is very intersting!,
haha
I LOVE THE JONAS BROTHERS AND I AM
SEEING THEM IN FRICKEN 5 DAYS IN TORONTO!
julie in canada says – reply to this

21

Shouldn't they be spending money on more important issues, such as finding cures for AIDS or cancer??
BGB says – reply to this

22

Re: dani –
soon they’ll be able to genetically alter gays so that they’re straight… and then male figure skating will cease to exist

LOL
Jessica says – reply to this

23

Hmm…fruity fruit flies? What'll they think of next?! :p
Christine says – reply to this

24

I knew it was a birth defect! Ewwww!
linds says – reply to this

25

you cantg make gay men straight! who will dress me??
Linda says – reply to this

26

so does this mean that the uber conservatives will give this to gay people? IF it works on humans.
Haha says – reply to this

27

This must be the funniest thing I've ever read on this website.
Jesus says – reply to this

28

Get back to work!
j says – reply to this

29

haaaa "fruit flies", that says it all
Carla says – reply to this

30

Only Perez would write "GAY" on a fruitfly, hahaha.
m says – reply to this

31

Very interesting! Thanks for the article, Perezito.
sparky's dad says – reply to this

32

how did they know they were gay? did they property at fire island?
KK says – reply to this

33

This article totally confused me - too much science mumbo jumbo. Can anyone break this down into plain english for me please?
Shireen says – reply to this

34

they put the 'fruit' in fruit flies. literally.
good times.
gini says – reply to this

35

YESSSSSS! Now we can turn all the hot gay hairstylists straight and make sweet sweet love to them!
Shireen says – reply to this

36

Re: Who cares – DUDE me too! seriously it is so depressing to think I am not there for the reunion show. and reading on this website that paris hilton will be there is just salt on the wound. she probably doesn't even know who the fuck they are.
LOL says – reply to this

37

Re: Linda – Linda it is a far cry from fruit flys to humans. even then the uber xtians don't have the money to finance such. The gyas do with all of that disposable income so watch out straighties an uber rich gay guy might pay for turning all you straights into gays. It works both ways
Daniella says – reply to this

38

This is ridiculous. All the people who use this to support anti-gay anything are the same people who say humans aren't evolved from apes. If you can't compare us to apes, you want to compare us to fruit flies? Please.

Why would you want to cure being gay anyway? Are people really going to change their children over this?
drosophila says – reply to this

39

sorry, but that is not a fruit fly picture!
Man get your drosophila melanogasters down!
FRUIT FLIES ROCK MAN!
Allan says – reply to this

40

Actually this is good. If you cure homosexuality, then you cure AIDS. Kill two birds with one stone this way.
gotta love the republican machine says – reply to this

41

Wow… Homosexuality is so friggin scary to them that they would spend more money and time researching THIS as opposed to Cancer, HIV, and deadly birth defects??? WOW. Can they please just get off the planet now? This is so not a MEDICAL concern. IT IS WHAT IT IS or in spanish… es o si que es

Now can we please get on with finding LIFE SAVING medical studies?
WTF says – reply to this

42

So it's more proof that sexual orientation is bioligical, and not a choice.

Also, being able to do something with fruit flies is a FAR cry from being able to do it with humans. Fruit flies are a popular test subject because of their simplicity, but many fruit-fly related experiences do not translate over to humans.

So no, probably not a "cure" for homosexuality. But evidence that you can't turn straight without biological intervention (hello, Exodus International).
Danielle says – reply to this

43

OMG! Who exactly pays for this research?? Why does it matter if it is biological or cognitive. Live and let live why does it matter so much. There is already so many labels can we quit trying to fix what is "wrong" and start looking at what is important.
Mike says – reply to this

44

The thing about this research is that there is no link between the sexual courtship of drosophila (that's fruit fly in science talk) and humans. While varying levels of glutamate cause that in fruit flies (it's essentially tricking them)…, glutamate levels can cause increased blood pressure in people along with a plethora of other crap.

know your shit ppl.
tdawg says – reply to this

45

Perez = Fruit Fly
LISA says – reply to this

46

hahahha get it," FRUIT" flies!!!!!
Adie says – reply to this

47

that was.. umm.. interesting or weird
victoria says – reply to this

48

WOW!
victoria says – reply to this

49

WOW!
Sasarai says – reply to this

50

Allan (42) is an idiot.
kristen bont says – reply to this

51

thats dumb, what is the point? and why does anyone care?!?!?
yy says – reply to this

52

Looks like you can be fixed now, Perez!
madmax says – reply to this

53

60 Minutes covered a study last year where scientists "turned" rats gay by altering their hormones. Now if they will only find a way to do it with hair dye.
good news says – reply to this

54

Maybe there's hope for you yet Perez.
mike says – reply to this

55

Re: KK –

ok so basically they altered receptors in the flys brains telling them what smells they found attractive. a lot of scientists believe that sexuality has to do with the way we react to the preferred sex's smell. since your sense of smell is the strongest sense. they put chemicals into the flys screwing with that and they ended up turning them gay and then straight again by blocking the smells they would find attractive if they were gay. the only problem i have with this is that fruit flys don't have sex for sex they only do it to reproduce humans aren't like that. and our brains are to complex theres no way that would work on humans without screwing with our brains, however it does seem like if they perfected this they could probably make a pill that turns you gay or straight. since americans love their pills
Kirsten says – reply to this

56

Re: dani –

LMAO!
Anonymous says – reply to this

57

They'll do that to humans in the future.
xxxxxxxxxxxx says – reply to this

58

eh. nothing that scientifically groundbreaking. Similar studies have been done with mice, for example. By the way, that photograph doesn't show a fruit fly. It's some other species of fly, but definitely not a fruit fly.
mike says – reply to this

59

Re: Allan –

what is this 1983? sorry but AIDS is everywhere, read a book once and a while
Emily says – reply to this

60

Re: Allan – so wrong and so ignorant.

do your research, it's straight men that spread AIDS.
perez -_-' says – reply to this

61

Perez, did you really have to post that? I mean, first of all it should be about hollywood gossip. Yes gossips, the thing you used to do before your website got more adds than beyonce's butt.

Now that research, probably founded by some sick old religious fanatic, conscerns Fruit Flies. Not humans, nor monkeys… but fruit flies. So I don't see how it can be applied to humans. Our sexual mechanism is much more complicated.

The more I see your posts, the less I think you are gay. Because no gay could hate himself enough to post such things.
Penis for Brains says – reply to this

62

Being gay, straight or lesbian is just a question of the amount of hormones introduced at a specific time of gestation and then again during the process of puberty. It's no mystery. Endorcrinologists have known this for years.
Molly says – reply to this

63

K people! MOST Chrstians do NOT have a problem with homosexuality. That is just a stupid stereotype so stop spreading it!!!!!!!!!
LeonA'$ GHO$T, yep uh huh, BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER BITCHES! says – reply to this

64

OH PEREZ, IF YOU HAD ONLY DRAWN THE JIZZ COMING OUT OF ITS MOUTH.
thatsdope says – reply to this

65

gay is wrong point blank…….i dont hate gays but it is wrong can you make a baby being gay?
SUK dat COK Paca says – reply to this

66

Re: dani – Not to mention the Republican Party! A HA AH AAAHAAAAAA!
Another Nobody says – reply to this

67

Dont take this the wrong way… but arent pedofiles and homocidal maniacs… *ahem*… BORN THAT WAY.

People with Downs Syndrome are BORN that way…
that dont make it right.. desireable.. or cool.

SORRY I JUST HAD TO SAY IT!
Drew says – reply to this

68

Homosexuality shouldn't be something that you should "cure". LGTB people have fought long and hard for the few rights they have and now it's being suggested that their sexuality should be "normalized" for straight convenience. It's not a fair deal and it's completely disrespectful at even proposing that gays and lesbians should be "fixed".

"if it aint broke, don't fix it"
Lamb Chop says – reply to this

69

Oh for fuck's sake! Is this what my hard-earned tax paying dollars are being spent on????
Rachel says – reply to this

70

Re: Allan –

Allan,
You are fucking retarded and I truly hope you contract AIDS from your heterosexual partner. It is ignorant people like yourself who contribute to the sad state of our country.
Love,
A beautiful, heterosexual woman who happens to be an HIV/AIDS researcher at a major university.
mike says – reply to this

71

> reply to #65

Please tell me your message was a joke. If not, your nickname suits you very well. The amount of hormones has nothing to do with one's sexuality, AT ALL.
kiwibiarch says – reply to this

72

people! this is RESEARCH! we do it for shits and giggles, to find out how stuff works, just 'cos we can. because it's interesting! people talking about 'gay' and 'straight' drugs have read waaaaay too much science fiction.

be excited that we can do cool shit like this!

genes! they rule
paul says – reply to this

73

Re: thatsdope –

It surely is much better to have two guys doing the thing together without a kid in the end, than someone like you having a baby. Think about how the life of the child will be. "my daddy is a moron, please kill me"
Sounds like. . . . says – reply to this

74

The plot line from "X-Men: The Last Stand." I wonder which was started first, the script or the research. Maybe we should think a little more about fucking with nature before we do so, hmmmmm?
Senna Trem says – reply to this

75

Well it's a good thing none of us are fruitflies then… :/
hi says – reply to this

76

Re: i fucked my friends man – I note your name.. are you actually PROUD that you fucked your friend's man??
danii fucking vanity. says – reply to this

77

Re: Allan – maybe we should come up with a cure for jackasses like you. get fucked.
Jenna says – reply to this

78

Re: drosophila – uh,yeah…this is a fruit fly…..there are many types of fruit flies…so quit trying to make yourself look smart..it's not working.
HELL TO THE YEAH #43 says – reply to this

79

If they are so into this then why don't they use some Catholic priests, Larry Craig's, Trent Lott's to name a few, as lab test rats?? They may also find a cure for the "hippocrite" gene while their at it.
West End Girl says – reply to this

80

Maybe they'll do the smart thing and cure HETEROSEXUALITY. Gas prices would plummet, man's destruction of the earth would end, ugly fat bitches in polyester wouldn't take up so much space in Wal-Mart (wait a minute, there wouldn't BE a Wal-Mart!) and, for a change, a quiet aeroplane trip across the pond!
Holly says – reply to this

81

Re: Sounds like. . . . – You're my soulmate. This is exactly what I thought when I read that comment.
lasnizzle says – reply to this

82

i'm a lesbian!
joe says – reply to this

83

that's a fuckin horsefly
perfectdayelise says – reply to this

84

yes, they altered the way they perceive pheremones, but i think there's a little more TO it for humans. i mean, fruit flies share some of our genes, but we are quite a bit more complex! i really hope this doesn't spur on evil rightwing bigots.
lalallalalalalweeeee says – reply to this

85

One day science will eradicate homosexuality. Parents will be given the option to correct this birth defect so their children can have a normal life and be able to procreate themselves instead of sticking a turkey baster up them. Or explaining to little Johnny how an anonymous sperm donor was his father that he'll never know and pretending this family unit is somehow normal or psychologically healthy for the child. If you're gay, that's your business but when you force children into the mix trying to create a little 'family' that's where I'm against the whole lifestyle. That fucks up children. A child comes from a man and woman. A child wants a connection to both people who brought him into the world two men or two women will never fill that void of needing a male and female parent. Gay people need to stop being so fucking selfish by bringing innocent children into their family mix. Why are you trying to emulate heterosexual families? Guess what, you're fucking gay so your union can't produce children because your union is unnatural.
maxfreud says – reply to this

86

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
maxfreud says – reply to this

87

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
maxfreud says – reply to this

88

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
maxfreud says – reply to this

89

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
Heather says – reply to this

90

Perez, love the science posting. Especially about fruit flies! Keep up the great work!

P.S. I work with fruit flies and I'm pretty sure that this picture isn't a fruit fly.
maxfreud says – reply to this

91

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
maxfreud says – reply to this

92

THESE ARE EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS! WE NOW HAVE HOPE OF CURING THE DEVASTATING AND CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS THAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY
Sunny Sam says – reply to this

93

Does that mean there's hope for you too, Perez?
Just kidding…
wendy says – reply to this

94

Maybe they can make you straight, Perez. Then we wont have to listen to your chronic, childish whining about how gays can't have everything they want whenever they want it.
that girl says – reply to this

95

I'VE NEVER SMELLED LEISHA HAILEY AND A LOOOOVE HER!
Na Hol says – reply to this

96

They are working on things like this because they already have cures for cancer and aids, but these diseases were created by the government to rid the population of "deviants" so of course more money is going into studies on how to cure homosexuality.
nadanada says – reply to this

97

I love how some people automatically assume that biological/genetic traits mean that someone has no control over their impulses. Ummmm…addiction is biological: alcoholism is strongly hereditary- yet Perez spends all day bashing on Lohan, etc… If biology justifies homosexuality, it justifies alcoholism, drug addiction, and a host of other things, too.
Homosexuality, if it is biological, is a DISORDER- EVERY inborn condition that prevents reproduction is considered to be a disorder- I wish people would get their heads out of their asses.
Oh, and by the way- I'm not some radical, right wing Christian zealot wackjob
…Some people can just think for themselves
tony says – reply to this

98

97- dumbass- yea. they found a cure i missed cnn that night
tony says – reply to this

99

97- - yea. they found a cure i missed cnn that night
tony says – reply to this

100

97- - yea. they found a cure for aids— i missed cnn that night