Love and a Regurgitated Gift

In the world of fruit flies, romance can take surprising forms. The species Drosophila subobscura has a peculiar courtship ritual: before mating, a male must win over the female by giving her a gift. But instead of flowers or chocolates, he offers her a tiny mouth-to-mouth meal of regurgitated food. Interestingly, their close cousin Drosophila melanogaster—the fruit fly most often used in laboratories—doesn’t do this at all.

So what makes one species a generous suitor while the other skips the gift exchange? Japanese researchers discovered that the difference comes down to a single gene, called FruitlessM (FruM), which helps wire male brains for courtship behavior. In D. subobscura, this gene switches on in a group of brain cells that regulate feeding. When FruM is missing, the cells don’t grow the connections they need, and the males fail to present their nuptial gift.

Even more intriguing, when scientists turned on FruM in the same brain cells of D. melanogaster, something remarkable happened: the cells sprouted new connections, and the males began regurgitating food more often—hinting at a hidden potential for gift-giving buried in their biology.

This research shows how a small genetic change can spark big differences in behavior between species. What looks like a simple act of food sharing is, in fact, the product of evolutionary history written deep in the wiring of the brain.

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Feminists, Woke, and DEI People Justify Violence Against Women

The International Boxing Association (IBA) demands that Imane Khelif be stripped of the Olympic medal she won in Paris in 2024 in the women’s over 60 kg category. I wrote about this individual at the time, stating that it is unethical to allow a man to compete in a women’s division.

The boxing association now bases its demand on information indicating that Khelif has both X and Y chromosomes in their karyotype—meaning that, genetically, Khelif is male. In my view, allowing such a person to compete in women’s boxing is no different from a man committing domestic violence against his wife—except that in this case, it has the approval of the International Olympic Committee.

In fact, I find it quite puzzling that neither feminists nor their organizations have spoken out much about this issue. Nor have the woke and DEI-enlightened public figures, who are usually very particular about ensuring their views on gender matters are broadly acknowledged in society.

In this regard, an interesting exception is the Finnish trans woman and former high jumper, Jade Nyström, who has clearly stated that trans women should have no right to compete in women’s sports. Her view is easy to agree with—and it also raises the question of whether the so-called woke crowd is, for some reason, unable to see that even the rights of sexual minorities can go too far—and even justify violence against women.

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Everyone has the right

UK Supreme Court Distinguishes Between the Rights of Women and Trans Women

The United Kingdom's Supreme Court has ruled that not all women's rights can be granted unless one is biologically female. Such a right includes, for example, the use of women's restrooms, which are no longer accessible in the island nation to men with a feminine gender identity.

The court’s decision is, of course, appropriate and reasonable, and I have no objection to it whatsoever. What I do find strange, however, is that such self-evident matters need to be clarified in court. 

Then again, we all remember last year’s Olympics, where a person — at least partially biologically male — won in two women’s boxing divisions. Would it be wrong if the right of these winners to compete in the women's division were challenged in court, even retrospectively?

Time will tell how the UK’s decision will affect women’s rights in other countries. Will they also follow clear common sense, or is there still some corner of the world where women’s status is willingly undermined to appease the demands of people with differing sexual identities?

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The Dire Wolf and the Rights of Extinct Human Species

The Americans have announced that they have brought back to life a dire wolf that lived during the Ice Age. Or, more precisely, they have created a hybrid — a cross between a gray wolf and an ancient dire wolf.

This was made possible by two things. First, the genome of the dire wolf has been successfully determined from fossil material. And second, the general advancement of methods for modifying the DNA of living organisms.

The case is the first of its kind and particularly interesting because the animal species in question is not actually very closely related to the wolf. Instead, it belongs to an entirely different genus within the canine family. Thus, quite a lot of genetic modifications had to be made, and the resulting animals may not — or even likely will not — behave like the original dire wolves.

It remains to be seen what will happen to these hybrid animals in the future. Will they become free predators roaming the North American wilderness, or — as I rather suspect — exhibition pieces harnessed for profit in zoos or even in some kind of traveling shows? It will also be interesting to see whether this revival of the dire wolf will be followed by attempts to bring back other extinct creatures, like mammoths or thylacines.

One thing is certain, however: the creation of these animals will spark lively debate about the ethics of science. And there is little doubt that the most heated discussions will center around humanity’s own relatives.

After all, with the methods that have now been successfully used, it is possible — at least in theory — to also bring back extinct human species. Such as Neanderthals, Denisovans, or even Homo erectus.

If that were to happen, difficult questions would arise. For example, regarding whether they should be granted the same human and civil rights as everyone else.

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Finnish Trans Woman Speaks Out on Transgender Rights in Sports

In the United States, one of Donald Trump’s goals is to ban trans women from women’s sports. The issue is real, as demonstrated by last summer’s boxing matches at the Paris Olympics, where men won two women’s Olympic gold medals.

In this context, it was interesting to notice that a Finnish trans woman and former national-level high jumper, Jade Nyström, has taken a stand on the matter. And it has nothing to do with DEI or wokeness.

Nyström stated, “I fully support the idea that, in my opinion, biological men who are trans women should not compete in women’s categories... There’s a very clear advantage they gain. Hormone therapy alone does not change the entire person, especially if they’ve gone through puberty in their biological sex. It’s not fair to switch competition categories at that stage. This is not about discrimination or taking away rights – it’s more about realism.”

He also expressed a wish: “At the very least, I hope this moves in a direction where the sports of biological women are not ruined. This is not about discriminating against or taking rights away from trans women; it’s more about thinking rationally... I’m not going to switch to the women’s category because I think it would be unfair, and it wouldn’t feel right for me personally.”

It would be wonderful if the perspective of this Finnish athlete gained worldwide recognition. And if its inherent wisdom were understood by international sports leaders, including those at the International Olympic Committee.

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Shower Taking and Interfering Elephants

Most people consider humans the pinnacle of creation, capable of reasoning and tool use in ways that animals cannot. However, as research has progressed, this distinction has narrowed, and it is now known that, for instance, chimpanzees can use sticks as tools and New Caledonian crows can even craft them.

This is why it was particularly fascinating to read a recent study by German researcher Lea Urban and her colleagues on elephant behavior. These giant animals are already known to use and modify tools.

Urban and her team investigated how Asian zoo elephants use water hoses as tools. The flexibility, length, and water flow of hoses make them exceptionally complex tools, so it was not surprising that the researchers observed significant individual differences in how they were handled.

One female elephant, Mary, was particularly skilled at using the water hose. She systematically used it to shower her body and smoothly coordinated her trunk-holding movements with her other limbs.

Mary typically grasped the hose just behind the tip, allowing it to function as a rigid showerhead. However, when she wanted to reach her back, she grabbed the hose farther from the tip and swung it over her back, utilizing the hose's flexibility and ballistics.

Even more intriguing was that a younger female elephant, Anchali, began interfering with the hose while Mary was enjoying her shower. Anchali started pulling the hose toward herself, lifting and bending it, and then regrasping and compressing the bent section.

This bending-and-clamping behavior disrupted the water flow, and Anchali repeated it frequently. Over time, her ability to disrupt the water flow became more effective. Additionally, Anchali pressed the hose down with her trunk, further hindering the flow of water.

The researchers could not determine whether Anchali’s actions were specifically aimed at disrupting Mary’s shower or whether her behavior was independent of it. Nevertheless, the study demonstrated that elephants are capable of handling water hoses skillfully and even using them as tools.

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The fundamentals of conservation biology wavered

The late Finnish Professor Ilkka Hanski and his team were at the absolute forefront of metapopulation research, as evidenced by the $500,000 Crafoord Prize awarded to him. The theory, which was Hanski's area of interest, also serves as a central framework for conservation.

According to Wikipedia, "in classical metapopulation theory, each population cycles in relative independence of the other populations and eventually goes extinct as a consequence of demographic stochasticity (fluctuations in population size due to random demographic events); the smaller the population, the more chances of inbreeding depression and prone to extinction."

As conservation has also become an increasingly important sector in political decision-making, as shown by Finland's rejection of the EU Commission's proposed restoration regulation, it was interesting to note a research report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

The report modeled the maintenance of the viability of metapopulations in fragmented landscapes by creating more complex, i.e., realistic, as well as simpler landscape structures. The former reflect fragmentation more realistically. The results showed that the findings from simpler models are not necessarily generalizable.

This is because dynamic phenomena that arise in more realistically fragmented landscapes often contradict the conclusions produced by simpler models. Thus, the new research undermines traditional metapopulation theory thinking - and at the same time its practical application in conservation thinking.

It remains to be seen how the research I have presented here will be covered by the European mainstream media. Or how it will affect, for example, the further development of the EU's restoration regulation. Or will it remain below the publication threshold of the media and thus not influence European conservation discussions in any way?

Since I strongly suspect that the research discussed here will remain unnoticed by the public, I decided to highlight the issue in this writing - in English and also Finnish - so that any journalist, politician, or other influencer interested in the matter - who reads this blog - could become aware of it. And could, if desired, read it themselves (the publication is open for reading) and utilize its results in their own activities.

Previous thoughts on the same topic: Preventing future fires in Hawaii is possible, but the question remains: Are animal activists and politicians prepared for the necessary measures? Traditional beliefs turned out to be wisdom Wolfs affect nature conservation

Traditional beliefs turned out to be wisdom

In the Western world, traditional beliefs and fairy tales are often disregarded, and understandably so, given the many benefits that modern science and knowledge-based technology have provided us. Nonetheless, on occasion, ancient traditions contain a kind of wisdom that exceeds scientific knowledge.

An example was published in a new research article, where scientists described how they gained insights into the mysterious small patches of barren earth called "fairy circles" found in arid grasslands in Australia and Namibia. Ecologists have debated whether the circles are the result of plants competing for water and nutrients or an alternative explanation backed by thousands of years of Aboriginal knowledge.

The study, argues that the circles are in part caused by underground nests of termites, as depicted in Aboriginal paintings and stories. The traditional knowledge of Aboriginal people was confirmed by scientists who dug trenches in the patches and discovered extensive termite tunnels.

The co-authors of the study include dozens of Aboriginal elders and experts who shared their knowledge with researchers at Australian institutions. The authors argue that the results demonstrate the importance of incorporating traditional knowledge of Indigenous people into scientific research.

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Leaders infected by a parasite

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan that causes toxoplasmosis, which in humans is associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric and behavioral conditions. The parasite is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals,  but may undergo sexual reproduction only in felids (cats and its relatives). 

The parasite has been shown to increase rodents' chances of being preyed upon by felids by altering their behavior. As a consequence, rats that do not avoid cat habitations and are therefore more likely to become cat prey.

The famous Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, has a diverse carnivore community including gray wolves and cougars, intermediate and definitive hosts of the parasite, respectively. In a newly published investigation it was shown, that wolf territory overlap with areas of high cougar density was an important predictor of infection. 

In addition, wolves hosting the parasite were more likely to make high-risk decisions such as dispersing and becoming a pack leader, both factors critical to individual fitness and wolf vital rates. The change was considerable as the reported data showed that infected wolves were 11 times more likely than uninfected ones to leave their birth family to start a new pack, and 46 times more likely to become pack leaders - often the only wolves in the pack that breed.

The study did not provide data how this this behavioral modification of wolfs resulted in the parasite breeding in cougars, but according to the authors it is probable that the toxoplasmosis would create a feedback loop that increases spatial overlap and disease transmission between wolves and cougars. 

Taken together, the above described results show an example of unexpectedly complicated relationship between a parasite with its two hosts. The obvious question arising is the effect of toxoplasmosis on the behavior of humans. 

After all, it is very common. For example in the United States, approximately 11% of people have been infected, while in some areas of the world this is more than 60%. The infection rate in Finland is ca. 15%. 

Despite this, there is no scientific information about the parasite´s behavioral effect on infected humans. However, after reading the article linked above I would definitely be happy to see some research on the topic. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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World oceans are filled with previously unknown viruses

COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing for ca. 1,5 years now. It started when a new RNA virus SARS-CoV-2 learned to reproduce in humans, and to efficiently transmit between different people. Furthermore, the pandemic has had several waves due to rapid evolution of the virus from the original form to ever increasing variants with more and more efficient transmission between people.

The pandemic underlined the dangers of new viruses. The human immune systems are not prepared for their attacks and neither has evolution prepared our genes to resist their effects. As a result, such a virus may be life threatening and kill millions and millions of people.

Therefore it was interesting to read about new research showing, that oceans of the world are full of unknown RNA viruses. And not only new versions of the kinds of virus types previously known, but completely unknown virus groups rooting in the earliest history of the life itself.

These new viruses are not causing diseases of humans, but mostly multiply in lower eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. In doing that, these viruses affect evolution of their host organisms, affect marine community dynamics, speed up the cycles of matter in the biosphere and evolve themselves.

It remains to be seen, how the research described above affects practical human life. It is, however, clear that this piece of curiously driven science affects considerably the worldview of virologists and microbiologists and adds to their creativity towards new research projects. 

History has shown that such a cumulative increase of understanding is the basic value of the scientific inquiry. Any piece of new knowledge may ultimately lead to useful practical applications. And that has raised the western part of the world developmentally above rest of the human cultures.  

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