Research in Insect Flight Mechanisms

In Frankenstein’s Cat, Emily Anthes speaks about “cyborg bugs” that the United States government could potentially use for reconnaissance and safety missions. The problem with this concept is that not a whole lot is known about the mechanisms of insect flight. Anthes notes how Michel Maharbiz, a scientist researching at University of California-Berkely was able to control basic flight patterns by stimulating the brain and muscles of the flower beetle (Mecynorrhina torquata). Hopefully in the future we will able to control more complex movements in insects, but first we must understand what makes insects fly. Michael Dickinson has dedicated his life’s work to answering just this question.

            A recent article in the New York Times, “Focusing on Fruit Flies, Curiosity Takes Flight”, written by James Gorman, describes the life and research of Michael Dickinson. Dickinson studies fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) or as my cell biology professor jokingly calls them “dark-bellied dew lovers”, due to the Greek meaning of the name. Fruit flies have been used in a variety of scientific environments since the early 1900s. Dickinson is interested in the neuroscience of fruit flies because he is fascinated how such a small, simple brain can complete such complex movements. Have you ever realized how hard it is to kill something as simple as a fly? Gorman writes how when a fruit fly senses a predator, its response is not just a simple reflex. Dr. Card, a researcher in Dickinson’s lab, found that “somewhere in the fly’s brain the best response to a threat was being computed…” Recently, Dickinson has been imaging the brain of fruit flies to understand what is occurring during flight. He has found that during flight, activity in the brain is very different than when the brain is at rest. Dickinson attributes the complexity of the fruit fly’s brain to neuromodulators. Neuromodulators are chemicals that can change a neuron’s response to other neurotransmitters. Dickinson states how these neuromodulators can alter the response of a group of neurons in the fruit fly brain at different times. There are other beneficial aspects of studying the fruit fly besides its brain though.

A common problem addressed by Emily Anthes with “cyborg bugs” was flight distance. Dickinson states that the fruit fly “can fly for over 10 kilometers without eating anything.” This is a very important feature if one needs to utilize the fruit fly for a prolonged amount of time. Dickinson’s work, funded by the United States Defense Department, will hopefully prove useful in military technology for the future. Gorman points out that as far is the future is concerned, Dickinson wants more. I look forward to seeing the impact that Dickinson’s research has on neuroscience, biotechnology, and even military technology.

 References:

Anthes, Emily. Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts. New York: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2013. Print. 

Gorman, James. "Focusing on Fruit Flies, Curiosity Takes Flight." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.