Drosophila Titanus

September 17, 2018 6:49 PM

The Epic Task Of Breeding Fruit Flies For Life On Titan, Drosophilia Titanus, Andy Gracie
posted by the man of twists and turns (11 comments total)

I understand it's an art project, but he'd be better off using anaerobic bacteria, as there's no oxygen in Titan's atmosphere, only nitrogen, methane, and hydrogen.
posted by fings at 7:48 PM on September 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana
posted by Mister Bijou at 11:39 PM on September 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

There's also no fruit in Titan's atmosphere.

Bearing in mind one of the subtexts of the project, surviving on Earth might actually be the same as being doomed anyway.

Especially if you need to survive on Earth while being cared for by this guy.
posted by XMLicious at 11:55 PM on September 17, 2018

I wonder if those few surviving flies argued about whether the change in their climate had been anthropogenic.
posted by XMLicious at 12:04 AM on September 18, 2018 [7 favorites]

do you want insect overlords? because this is how you get insect overlords.
posted by dudemanlives at 4:38 AM on September 18, 2018 [2 favorites]

There are some irritating misconceptions about how evolution works in this experiment.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:02 AM on September 18, 2018

do you want insect overlords? because this is how you get insect overlords.

We've done, and are doing, worse. As long as they're the kind that don't include us in their reproductive cycle*, I say we give it a shot.

*unless you're into that sort of thing, no kinkshaming
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:17 AM on September 18, 2018

This is a cool idea. It's hard to make humans survive on other planets, but can we guide evolution to produce an organism that can lead the way? Might be better to start with water bears, since they have a head start.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:34 AM on September 18, 2018

"do you want insect overlords? because this is how you get insect overlords."

What answer is there to such a question besides "Yes, obviously we all want insect overlords." Have you ever had a human overlord? Absolutely terrible. Please, save us insectomans.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:39 AM on September 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

What if Attack on Titan, but fruitflies instead
posted by obliterati at 12:59 PM on September 18, 2018

Fruit flies? Anaerobic bacteria? Everyone knows it's Sirens of Titan. Breed some of those and we'll talk.
posted by Quindar Beep at 8:58 AM on September 19, 2018