Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are actually used frequently in genetics research. They are a popular model organism because they reproduce very quickly and, since their genome is known, researchers can quickly study the effects of manipulating gene sequences (among other reasons).
Researchers have now been able to map the fruit fly genome three-dimensionally which is anticipated to further advance genetics research as researchers will be able to study whether the genome structure can influence the function of genes. You can read the full story here.
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