Fruit Flies and the Genetics of Sleep

What could a tiny fruit fly possibly tell us about why you feel tired at 10 PM?

It turns out, quite a lot. One of the biggest triumphs in modern science was the

discovery that the core "clock genes" regulating our 24-hour cycles are evolutionarily conserved—meaning

they are virtually the same across species. Researchers first identified these

genes in fruit flies by monitoring their activity, only to find the exact same molecular

"feedback loops" in mice and humans. This shared genetic roadmap is now helping scientists move

beyond just the timing of sleep to find the specific genes that control sleep homeostasis—the

internal drive that determines how much rest your body actually needs to recover. We’re exploring