Scientists have been able to take control of flies' brains to make females behave just like males. The team was able to get female fruit flies to produce a courtship song - behaviour usually only seen in males.The study suggests that the wiring in male and female flies' brains is similar.

Gero Miesenboeck, from Oxford University, UK, who carried out the research with J. Dylan Clyne from Yale University, US, said: "It is often the case that males have to work very hard to convince females to mate with them. Male fruit flies will vibrate one of their wings to produce a barely audible song. And if the female likes that sound, she'll surrender to his advances.”

Previous research has revealed that a group of 2,000 brain cells are necessary for this courtship behaviour in the insects; however, both male and female fruit flies appear to possess most of these neurons.

"It looks like males and females have very similar neuronal equipment, yet they behave so differently - only the male sings, and only the female responds to the song by allowing a male to copulate with her.” - says Professor Miesenboeck.

To investigate, the team placed some flies in a "mini sound studio". The insects had been genetically modified so that a pulse of light would activate this group of courtship neurons. First of all, the researchers looked at male flies and found that the light would indeed spark a song. As the light pulsed through the chamber, video footage shows the female fruit fly lifting and vibrating one of her wings to produce a song.

Nevertheless, the researchers say the study reveals that male and female brains are extremely similar in flies - even the circuits thought to be dedicated to sexual behaviours such as courtship.

References:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/080417_3.html