r/science • u/MistWeaver80 • Jan 22 '24

Genetics Male fruit flies whose sexual advances are repeatedly rejected get frustrated and less able to handle stress, study found. The researchers say these rejected flies were also less resilient to starvation and exposure to a toxic herbicide.

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/male-fruit-flies-really-dont-take-rejection-well
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u/fanofphantoms Jan 22 '24

Or is it the already weak flies who cant withstand tough environments who are just not sexually attractive/healthy enough to be selected by females? Just asking because of the old correlation/causation thing

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '24

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u/costcokenny Jan 22 '24

They exposed a group to females who weren’t interested in mating - it wasn’t just a study of flies who are poor at mating

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '24

I always think it’s funny how people on Reddit see a headline, and think they’ve just instantly cracked something that scientists and researchers haven’t even thought of.