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Fruit fly image credit: Thinkstock
We love it when science confirm things we’ve been wondering about… like horny flies that may be drinking too much.
Here’s the deal…
In a new study, scientists have found that male flies deprived of sex, (or more specifically of ejaculation), consume more alcohol, according to the Drink’s Business. While flies enjoying ‘successful sexual encounters’ actually have less thirst for booze.
The awkwardly named study ‘Ejaculation Induced by the Activation of Crz Neurons Is Rewarding to Drosophila Males’ (published in the journal Current Biology), found that sexually deprived male flies of the genus Drosophila (whatever) consumed more alcohol, while the more ‘sated’ insects consumed less alcohol.
Why aren’t we surprised?
As part of the study scientists induced ejaculation (yikes!), by activating Crz neurons which evidently “mimic mating reward in Drosophila”. (That’s entirely too much information as far as we’re concerned!)
Repeated fly ejaculation was found to reduce ethanol consumption, according to the study’s authors who’ve got to be rethinking theier occupations.
Again, we’re not surprised…
Study co-author and a researcher at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, Galit Shohat-Ophir explained…
“Successful mating is naturally rewarding to male flies and increases the levels of a small peptide in the brain called Neuropeptide F.
Male flies that are sexually deprived have increased motivation to consume alcohol as an alternative reward”.
The paper also noted that…
“Sexual interactions with female flies that do not reach copulation are not sufficient to reduce ethanol consumption, suggesting that only successful mating encounters are rewarding.”
Also good to know!
Drosophila, (often referred to as fruit flies), are known for being drawn to overripe, fermenting, rotting fruit…and it appears that we may now have a better understanding why.
Fruit fly image credit: Thinkstock
