Contrary to the popular belief, fruit flies were the first living being to travel to space in 1947, a decade before Laika the dog. That’s just a fraction of the story of the widely used, most popular model organism in biology. Drosophila or fruit fly has been part of 6 Nobel-winning research works on  human health and disease. Thousands of scientific breakthroughs happen each year using this insect that people see around but ignore as common pests. 

Why are these 4-winged, 6-legged creatures used for human-related studies? 70-80% of the drosophila genome is similar to the human genome. Ease of handling, fast development, small generation time, and ease of genetic modification adds to the reasons why fruit flies became the favorites of biologists. Plus, it's easy and cheap to take care of in labs, and you can bring it across borders without much hassle in your carry-on luggage. 

Despite its significance, Drosophila failed to enter the public knowledge. Frogs, Guinea pigs or mice are more well-known model organisms to the general public and in pop culture. In this docu-fiction, the Drosophila will tell her story, including the cultural perceptions about her. 

To gather information about cultural perceptions, we involve children from rural and urban schools for diverse placed-based perspectives. This is an experimental approach to science films which centre stages children as cultural commentators and science communicators.