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How Flies Feel
24 January 2013

How Flies Feel

When it comes to the sense of touch, our bodies are capable of detecting the lightest brush of a feather against skin, or a haymaker thump to the gut. But how do our nerves detect and distinguish such forces? What’s behind this incredible range of sensory detection? Scientists are getting closer to answering these questions, at least in fruit flies. They have identified cells that respond to certain pain stimuli and more recently they have also discovered that the neurons [nerve cells] pictured (purple) are responsible for detecting gentle touch. These cells have masses of protrusions called sensory filopodia packed with specialized ion channels (white), which activate the cell in response to gentle mechanical forces. Disturbances in either the channels or the protrusions render fruit fly larvae incapable of reacting to being tickled with an eyelash – a standard albeit quirky method of testing touch in flies.

Written by Ruth Williams

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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