Genetically Engineered Fruit Fly Smells Light : Discovery News

Genetically Engineered Fruit Fly Smells Light : Discovery News: "Fruit flies usually avoid light. But these larvae flock to it. That's because genetic scientists from Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum Germany spliced a gene for a protein that activates under light into cells in the flies olfactory system that responds to smells. So when the light is turned on, the protein activates, but sends the signals through the fly larva's smell system. The fly perceives the odor of banana, marzipan or glue, normal smells present in rotting fruit, and go into the light."