Differentiating Groups of Flies with Fluorescence

FBI, a camera system to recognize the genetic identity of fruit flies and track their movements will revolutionize the study of their behavior. An article on this advance is being published today in PLOS ONE. A genuine star of the laboratory, for several decades now the fruit fly has been the model organism for research, particularly in the field of genetics and development. But nothing looks more like a fly than another fly. When it comes to observing and quantifying their interactions, it's enough to turn one's hair gray. Researchers from EPFL and UNIL are making life easier for scientists all over the world with their system of monitoring and identification of these insects. "That will allow us to penetrate many mysteries in the social lives of insects: with whom they fight, eat, or mate.