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Middle School Science Department: Discerning Fruit Flies Traits under the Microscope, Breeding to Explore Genetic Laws

June 9, 2026

Recently, an elective course in entomology hosted a uniquely engaging genetics exploration experiment. Under the guidance of their teachers, students used the classic experimental organism—Drosophila (fruit flies)—as their subject. Utilizing microscopes, they carefully observed distinct traits such as red eyes vs. white eyes and long wings vs. vestigial wings. They then attempted to select specific individuals for F1 generation hybridization to further analyze the phenotypic ratios of the F2 generation.


During the experiment, students focused intently on distinguishing differences in the fruit flies' body sizes, eye colors, and wing shapes. They meticulously recorded experimental data to verify the laws of dominant and recessive genes. By hands-on execution of the cross-breeding experiments, the students gained an intuitive understanding of Mendel's laws of inheritance, experiencing firsthand both the rigor and the joy of scientific inquiry.


"We used to only learn about genetics from textbooks. Doing the experiment ourselves and seeing the variations with our own eyes made us realize that the laws of inheritance are right in front of us. It’s absolutely magical!" shared several participating students. This immersive, hands-on experience allowed everyone to truly appreciate the charm of scientific exploration.


This Drosophila genetics experiment not only effectively ignited students' passion for exploring life sciences and consolidated their foundational knowledge in biology, but also strongly honed their skills in microscopic observation, data logging, logical analysis, and practical operations. Moving forward, the teaching and research group will continue to launch similar exploratory experiments, leading students to unlock more mysteries of life science through hands-on practice.





(Written by Rongzhang Hu, Andrew McGillivray

Pictures by Rongzhang Hu

Reviewed by Jenny Du, Shiyu Wu)