Dillard writing

Drosophila Melanogaster is one creature that I have come to know more intimately than I would ever care to. The common fruit fly is an abundant model organism for genetics research with many different mutations. I spent 3 days a week for 3 weeks staring at them, separating different mutations from each other. Cinnabar eye is a mutation causing the eye to be a slight shade more brown than the traditional red coloring. In order to separate them I must painstakingly stare at the eye under multitudes of light adjustments. Most think that fly eyes are strange and then don't give it a second thought. After hours of studying them, I started to have dreams of people with fly eyes! Then it was aliens, and dogs with those horrific eyes! Then came a different mutation, Vestigial Wing. This one causes both wings to be shriveled and non-functioning.