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To book a live or taped interview with Dr. Johannes Bauer in the SMU News Broadcast Studio call SMU News and Communications at 214-768-7650 or email SMU News at news@smu.edu.
Related links
- PLOS One: “Organically grown food provides health benefits to Drosophila melanogaster”
- Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Molecular Basis of Disease: “Development of diet-induced insulin resistance in adult Drosophila melanogaster”
- Johannes H. Bauer
- Bauer Lab at SMU
- SMU Department of Biological Sciences
- Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences
More SMU Research news
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Bauer, an assistant professor in SMU’s Department of Biological Sciences, mentored Chhabra in her research to examine whether there would be health differences to fruit flies fed an organic diet or a nonorganic diet. Chhabra’s study found that flies fed an organic diet fared better on important health tests, particularly fertility and longevity.
EXCERPT:
Ryan Jaslow
CBS News
New research shows eating lots of organic food can lead to a healthier life — if you happen to be a fruit fly.Scientists fed fruit flies extracts from either organic foods or non-organic, conventionally-grown foods, and found the organic group was healthier and lived longer than their counterparts.
“We don’t know why the flies on the organic diet did better. That will require further research. But this is a start toward understanding potential health benefits,” study leader Ria Chhabra, a student at Clark High School in Plano, Texas, said in a written statement.
That’s right, the study was led by a Texas high school student who got the idea from hearing her parents discuss whether or not it was worth it to buy organic foods for health reasons.
So, Chhabra teamed up with her mentor, Dr. Johannes H. Bauer, an assistant professor of biology at Southern Methodist University in Texas.
“It’s rare for a high school student to have such a prominent position in the lab. But Ria has tremendous energy and curiosity, and that convinced me to give this research project a try,” Bauer said.
The fruit fly, or Drosophila melanogaster, is used in Bauer’s lab and other research facilities to study human diseases including diabetes, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s. Fruit flies are widely used in research because they’re cheaper and have a shorter life cycle than other lab animal models.
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