Multimedia Gallery
Fluorescent Fruit Flies Shed New Light
Science NationSyracuse University biologists are now able to study previously unobservable events tied to sexual selection. That’s because they were able to genetically alter fruit flies so that the heads of their sperm were fluorescent green or red. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Scott Pitnick and his colleagues have acquired new information about just what happens between insemination and fertilization; observations which Pitnick says are opening a new door for the fields of reproductive biology, sexual selection, and speciation. And, a lot of long-held beliefs about what goes on in the female reproductive tract have gone out the window with these new images.
Credit: National Science Foundation
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Videos credited to the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, may be distributed freely. However, some materials within the videos may be copyrighted. If you would like to use portions of NSF-produced programs in another product, please contact the Video Team in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.