A fly under lockdown from 1920 in a bottle

CUBE chat
1

These flies under lockdown from 1920

The flies (the Cantor S strain of Drosophila melanogaster) in this bottle are living and perpetuating in a small milk bottle micro-ecosystem from 1920s. What happens to an organism when not exposed to the wild environment? A table-top model system to study evolution.

While we are under lockdown, we are making sure that this chain is not broken. Five weeks of lockdown could break this lineage. But, thanks to several labs around the world that maintain this fly to ensure the chain is never broken.

6 Likes
2

How many fruit fly cultures are safe with us @GN Sir…?
From the CUBE lab?
We had
CsBz
NS-PGeo
Giant flies
Single lines.

CsBz is there with you…any idea about the other cultures that were in our CUBE lab… Sir?

2 Likes
3

I took only the CsBz bottles with me. Others must have perished by now.

Since I used banana to continue the next generation, it is not sure if the flies I have are CsBz or loca or mixed. Post lockdown we need to do some identification, if they survive. Again, if I cannot transfer to another container, I may not have any left.

2 Likes
4

Thank you @GN sir for the updates
After the lockdown we need to work for maintaining all the cultures!!
Hopefully we would have some cultures remaining till that time.

2 Likes