Funny science mysteries (part 3)

Why do boys and girls struggle differently? Science still hasn't fully explained why boys often punch each other while girls snatch hair from each other on school grounds. Even so, in the boxing court, this type of fighting offers the advantage, at least if the opponent is a fruit fly.

Edward Kravitz, a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, identified a gene that controls the fighting tips of male and female fruit flies.

In order to activate these same-sex brawls, Kravitz offers generous rewards: enamel for children and for males is a privilege to court a headless girl.

(Photo: Popular Science) As expected, the guys fought harder. They rushed forward and then jumped up to launch kicks with their feet. "If you slow down this scene, you will see that they only knock the opponent down," Kravitz said. Meanwhile, the girls pushed and rammed their heads together, a more elegant but equally effective attack.

Is the difference in fighting style a learning behavior, or is it defined in the gene? To find out, Kravitz transplanted genes involved in male sexual behaviors (like male flirtation) on females and implanted female genes into males. After having this gene exchange, the guys brawl like females, and the girls choose the fighting technique that is the male's. This is the first evidence that the fruit flies' aggression is controlled by genes, linked to specific gender.

However, Kravitz's study does not deduce immediately for humans, because we do not have a gene that corresponds to the type of fruit flies. In addition, scientists agreed that early testosterone exposure may be responsible for human aggressiveness, depending on the level of exposure.

Funny science mysteries (part 1)
Funny science mysteries (part 2)

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T. An