There are many ways to woo a lady, but have you ever tried… barfing?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
For some flies, vomiting is quite the romantic gesture – but only in SOME species.
Ryoya Tanaka and team investigated this odd behavior. They found a protein called fruitless being produced in their brains. Could this protein be behind the retching?
First, they took a species of fly that did not bring vomit into its love life. Then, they engineered those flies’ brains to produce the fruitless protein.
With the production of fruitless, those flies started barfing at their prospective mates as well! This shows how some behaviors are baked into our DNA.
Perhaps REGURGITATION is the sincerest form of flattery…
Reference: Ryoya Tanaka et al., Cross-species implementation of an innate courtship behavior by manipulation of the sex-determinant gene.Science389,747-752(2025).DOI:10.1126/science.adp5831