Featured below is the central nervous system of a Drosophila (fruit fly) embryo captured in a serial optical section by confocal laser scanning microscopy. This double-labeled fluorescent specimen reveals peripheral neurons in green and glial cells in red.

Fruit Fly Embryo Nervous System Specimen: Drosophila Embryo Nervous System Technique: Fluorescence (Double Label)

The fruit fly is a favorite laboratory organism for a wide range of biological and medical research. Scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have recently isolated a protein in the nervous system of the fruit fly that is said to be closely related to the receptor that cocaine targets in the human brain. Researchers hope that by genetically altering this protein in the fruit fly, they might gain a better understanding of how cocaine and other mind-altering substances affect the human brain and point the way towards new therapies.