Time Flies When You’re Having Fun! by Keith Thompson

​Hello there! I've come back to tell my readers what I have been doing since I last checked in. 7 weeks into the program, we're over halfway done and there is so much I have done, yet so much more to do. I've learned how to sort flies (even if it is a struggle), how to make a highly diluted solution, how to collect developmental data, and even how to determine how motile flies are based on their activity. I took all these steps in conducting my introductory experiment, which answered the question, "Does intestinal inflammation impact adult fly motility? Can diet have a protective effect?". By feeding my flies soap to cause inflammation and Vitamin E to protect against it, I determined that flies fed both Vitamin E and soap were most motile. Flies fed just soap and food were least motile, proving that inflammation decreases motility and that diet is in fact able to protect against it.

Now that we've moved on from our introductory experiments, we have begun setting up our own independent experiments. You may have heard the expression: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". I take that literally. For over a year, I have been eating an apple every single day for breakfast. Now, it is an integral part of my daily routine. Without it, I often feel sluggish and less energetic. When researching the actual benefits of eating an apple everyday, I found that a flavonoid in it, Quercetin, can ameliorate the effects of Alzheimer's. My initial idea was to imitate the experiment that proved this in rats on flies, but this proved to be far too impractical. Instead, I've decided to find out if Quercetin can improve the memory of developing larvae, similar to how I am still developing.

Over the next few weeks, I will be conducting the Larval Memory Assay to determine if Quercetin is able to improve the memory of the larvae. I hope to report back with positive results, both for the larvae and for my own health. Until next time, thanks for reading!