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Fruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster, may appear as common pests, but they have been indispensable to biological research for over a century. These small insects have significantly advanced our understanding of genetics, development, and disease. This discussion explores why Drosophila is a key model organism, highlights its contributions to science, and examines the creative gene names that reflect the ingenuity of researchers. First, let’s clarify: what is a model organism, and why was a fruit fly chosen for study instead of a larger animal? Give a listen to find out.

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Mario Capecchi was one of the 3 scientists who were awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 “for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells”. However, him winning the most prestigious prize in science was not the most impressive thing he did in his life. For reference in terms of level of difficulty, it is somewhere above winning a Nobel prize and below surviving academic politics. He overcame abject poverty and homelessness as a child, with his earliest memory of his mother being arrested by the Nazis, and became a well rounded and kind scientist and person.

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Mice (17th century- current)

Some find them cute, some find them repulsive, and science finds them useful. Mice have been a model organism for a bit over a century and is by far the most used nowadays. Let’s find out what these little creatures did for scientific discoveries and learn cool facts about them at the same time.

Resources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00849-x

https://www.labome.com/method/Laboratory-Mice-and-Rats.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128165737000067

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3790571/

Cool facts: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/why-use-the-mouse-in-research

Video: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/science/optogenetics-brain-social-behavior.html

Example failed animal trial: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964774/

Micronucleus test: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronucleus_test

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Professor Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012)

A developmental biologist who left an indelible mark on the field of neuroscience through her groundbreaking discoveries and unwavering dedication to scientific inquiry, despite being forced at one point to conduct her research from the confinements of her bedroom in Turin. From her pioneering research on nerve growth factor (NGF) (which was found to also be involved memory and learning, physical and mental illnesses, and led to antibody based therapies decades after its discovery), to her advocacy for gender equality in academia, Rtia’s contributions continue to inspire generations of scientists worldwide.


References

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1302413110

https://dilemaveche.ro/sectiune/la-fata-timpului/rita-levi-montalcini-o-artista-a-stiintei-2311088.html

“Rita Levi-Montalcini and the discovery of NGf, the first nerve cell growth factor” - Luigi ALOE, Archives Italiennes de Biologie, 149: 175-181, 2011. DOI: 10.4449/aib.v149i2.1377 http://www.architalbiol.org/index.php/aib/article/view/149175/21701989

In praise of imperfection : my life and work. Levi-Montalcini, Rita. 1988

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1986/levi-montalcini/lecture/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612637/

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Fleming, Williamina Paton (1857–1911)

A single mum, deserted by her husband in a time when women were second class citizens and weren’t allowed to get a higher education, Williamina Paton Fleming rose from the humble position of maid to one of the most famous astronomers in history. She supervised the cataloging of hundreds of thousands of stars, refined the star hunting method and changed the face of astronomy forever. This is the story of an immigrant woman that beat her circumstances and the system by choosing science.

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Frits Zernike

Although he spent his whole life from birth to retirement in the cities of Amsterdam and then Groningen, his life was far from ordinary. Incredibly intelligent and gifted, having the rare combination of simultaneously being a fine theoretician and skilled experimentalist, Frits Zernike started his scientific journey in astronomy and then applied his findings in microscopy. Before his discovery was recognised and awarded a Nobel prize, the Nazis were the first to see the potential in Zernike’s achievement and popularized it, altough it was made public for more than a decade. This is the story of the man that made it possible to see what couldn’t be seen ever before.

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Although now Lynn Margulis is as the historian Jan Sapp has said "as synonymous with symbiosis as Charles Darwin's is with evolution", she faced intense criticism in her lifetime. At the beginning her ideas elicited responses such as, "Your research is crap. Don't ever bother to apply again" and has been intitally rejected by 15 journals, in the end her passion and stubbornness prevailed. Strong in her opinions and unbothered by other people's vitriolic attitudes, she was also soft at heart and left a lasting mark on many lives. Lynn lived on one speed only, trailblazing and revolutionizing science and how modern scientist think about the basic biological unit of the eukaryotic cell and its origins. May we all have half of the fate she had in her ideas!


Resources:

https://www.sciencealert.com/10-inspiring-women-in-science

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/discover-interview-lynn-margulis-says-shes-not-controversial-shes-right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlhW12dGfFk

https://www.thoughtco.com/about-lynn-margulis-1224847

https://www.nature.com/articles/480458a

https://www.edge.org/conversation/lynn_margulis-lynn-margulis-1938-2011-gaia-is-a-tough-bitch

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Dr. Walle Nauta was not only a brilliant neuroanatomist and scientist of the 20th century, but also a selfless, brave soul. He revolutionised research tools in neuroscience, making it possible to better understand one of the biggest mysteries of humankind, our brain. Exigent, but kind, intuitive, but rigorous, and most of all, humble, he lived a life to remember.
List of interesting people: John Boren, Joseph

Brady, Boyd Campbell, Sven Ebbesson, Ford Ebner,

Michael Fuortes, Robert Galambos, William Hodos, David

Hubel, Harvey Karten, JacSue Kehoe, John Mason, William

Mehler, James Petras, George Moushegian, Enrique Ramón-

Moliner, Felix Strumwasser, and Eliot Valenstein.

Resources:
Lecture- https://infinite.mit.edu/video/walle-j-h-nauta-gross-anatomy-human-brain%E2%80%9D-brain-dissection-course-mit-department-psychology

https://www.nap.edu/read/11807/chapter/16

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/nauta-walle-j-h.pdf

https://righteous.yadvashem.org/?searchType=righteous_only&language=en&itemId=6748569&ind=NaN

Email: choosingscience@gmail.com

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