Male fruit flies enjoy orgasms more than alcohol discovered Israeli researchers. Scientists from Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv exposed the flies to a red light that activated a protein, corazonim (CRZ), in the abdomen that triggers ejaculation. Researchers who tested the insects’ addiction to pleasure hope to apply their discovery to controlling human abuse.

Head researcher Galit Shohat-Ophir said they then tested how repeated ejaculation affected the flies’ desires for other pleasures such as alcohol-spiked liquid. Flies that orgasmed as opposed to a control group that had not been stimulated, shunned the alcohol, preferring to amass in ‘red light district’ because ‘it feels good’ there said Shir Zer Krispil who led the study.

The scientists whose research was published in the journal Current Biology surmised that substance abuse in humans could be moderated by other rewards – not necessarily of a sexual abuse – that are naturally available, such as social interaction or sports. Shohat-Ophir said, “In experiences where there is high reward level by natural reward, alcohol as a drug reward is not valuable.”

Fruit flies are built to find fermenting fruit. Though small, they can detect the smell of ripe fruits and vegetables from a good distance away. If there’s a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter, there’s probably a fruit fly or two looking for a way into your home to get to it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2018 10:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).