For the average person, any rumination on the fruit fly ends with a distracted swat. Yet the hidden world of this diminutive species has potential to reveal surprising insights into the neural-generated behavior of species across the animal kingdom, including our own.

For example, it may surprise the uninitiated to learn that fruit fly mating rituals include elements commonly associated with classic human romance, intricately patterned love songs among them. Smitten by a potential partner, a male plays a song using his fast-fluttering wings. As his prospective female partner responds, moving toward or away, he measures her proximity and speed and adjusts his tune in real time.

Read the complete story on the Princeton Research Computing website.