Episode 36: Fightin' Flies

I personally have never been in a fight, so I can't say for sure what my fighting style would look like. But I can speculate. It would probably involve me taking a single girly swing at my opponent, jamming up a knuckle, and then starting to cry. The good news is that it might not be my fault I'm such a sissy. According to Harvard neuroscientist Edward Kravitz, there may be a genetic explanation. Or at least there would be if I were a fruit fly. Male and female fruit flies use very different fighting techniques, and Kravitz has discovered that by manipulating a single gene, he can transfer these gender-specific moves into the opposite sex.

I never know whether or not these scientists and I are going to agree on what's funny about their research. I certainly wouldn't blame them if they didn't find it funny at all—I mean, it is their job and everything. But let's face it, a fruit-fly Thunderdome is pretty hilarious, especially when you think about those poor little male fruit flies head-butting each other like a bunch of girls. Luckily, Edward Kravitz was very tolerant of my slightly goofy interview approach. I could tell even before we got to the story about accidental head-crushing. —Jonathan Coulton

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Comments

[Todd]

Hey Jonathan,

Are you still doing the show? I =really= enjoy them. You still up there on the moon or did you move a bit further away so it's taking longer to upload your podcasts? :D

[Brad Eleven]

What has happened to my precious PopSci Podcast From The Moon????? NASA budget cuts? Cold feet at PopSci? Jon Coulton is too busy for my own good?

The silence is ... well, silent.

[thatbaldguy]

Yeah, what happened? Is Jonathan busy? Did the podcast get canceled? It's a great show, and I'd hate to see it go!

[John Mahoney]

Jonathan has indeed been a busy man, but never fear—some new episodes are on the way and should be posted soon.

[the true man]

y did u want the world to know u r a girly fighter

[mad@coulton]

What the heck happened to the popsci podcasts? Every hour I check to see if the podcast has been updated but have found nothing new! If coulton does not update the podcast soon, I may as well forget that this wonderful podcasts existed. Jonathan Coulton, PLEASE UPDATE YOUR PODCASTS!

[nice2coulton-postmad@coulton]

Hey guys,

I found out that Coulton is on vacation for a few weeks and will countinue the podcasts after his vacation! Yay!

[generic viagra]

What is your favorite unusual fruit?
What do you do with it? Where does it come from and where do you find it and what makes it unusual?

[generic viagra]

Is Jonathan busy? Did the podcast get canceled? It's a great show, and I'd hate to see it go!

[fighting techniques]

Did he factor in the fruit flies preparation and attitude?