The Strange Mechanism in Fruit Flies that Significantly Reduces Their Lifespan When Observing Their Dead Kin.
Despite centuries of research, the fruit fly continues to surprise us with its unique mechanisms.
A recent study has shown that when fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) come into contact with the bodies of their deceased counterparts, their lifespan begins to decrease significantly and can be measured.
Fruit flies experience reduced lifespan when exposed to their dead kin. (Photo: Christi Gendron/CC-BY 4.0).
This process includes behaviors such as self-retraction, a decrease in body fat, and an accelerated aging process that leads to earlier deaths compared to other flies. Sometimes, this phenomenon occurs simultaneously in a group of flies, resulting in mass deaths.
These changes appear to be linked to serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that transmits signals between neurons and the 5-HT2A receptor, one of the serotonin receptors.
According to the scientists’ explanation, two types of neurons in fruit flies that receive the neurotransmitter serotonin are activated when the fruit flies detect their dead kin.
As a result, this increased activity accelerates the aging process in the flies, forming a phenomenon that researchers refer to as “death perception.”
Fruit flies can “perceive death.” (Photo: Wikipedia).
Interestingly, similar effects can also occur in other animal species, such as the act of removing dead kin in highly social insect species, or examining corpses in elephants. In some non-human primate species, they also employ a strategy that includes increased levels of a regulatory hormone known as glucocorticoid.
Although the brain of a fruit fly is very different from that of humans, the research team hopes that one day, findings from fruit flies will help us understand more about how our brains function and the aging process.
“The results from this study could provide insights for treating individuals who frequently face stressful situations surrounding death, such as soldiers or doctors,” the research report stated.
