The fruit fly - known scientifically as Drosophila melanogaster - is considered the premier animal for learning about our own inherited traits. A fruit fly cell has just 13,600 genes compared to a human's 70,000. With 90 percent of the genes between fruit flies and humans similar, the new findings give important insight into both species. In fact, genes linked to diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer matched up in both animals

The feat gives new credence to a controversial "shotgun" approach to deciphering the human genetic code embraced by J. Craig Venter, head of Celera Genomics Corporation. The shotgun approach uses banks of computers to piece together the genetic sequences that make up the double helix of DNA. Then, the DNA is randomly chopped and assembled back together like a puzzle. Recently, Celera announced that they had sequenced 90 percent of the human genome, equivalent to about 97 percent of all human genes. The company said it expected to be finished with its sequencing later this year, in advance of the project being undertaken by the federal National Center for Human

Science March 24, 2000