Abstract

The fruit fly Drosophila has played a leading role in the discovery and dissection of basic biological processes, uncovering general principles of development, evolution and disease. Almost a century of research has generated a powerful genetic toolbox that provides a unique arsenal of methods that can tackle almost any biological question. This, combined with exciting new technologies developed in recent years have changed the way Drosophila research is conducted, enabling biologists to address questions that were impossible to study before.