Thirsty Science

Thirsty Science

Share this post

Thirsty Science
Thirsty Science
Fruit fly sperm is longer than the fly

Fruit fly sperm is longer than the fly

and when they go in it's like a mess of cotton wool

Perrin Ireland's avatar
Perrin Ireland
Apr 17, 2024
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Thirsty Science
Thirsty Science
Fruit fly sperm is longer than the fly
Share

I got to chat with Mariana Wolfner last week, an absolute legend of molecular biology who studies fruit fly reproduction. She figured out fruit flies have dagger penises that pierce through female fruit fly reproductive tracts and inject “manipulative” proteins that change her behavior by dropping them in liquid nitrogen and taking CT scans of their coi…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Thirsty Science to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Perrin Ireland
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share