© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

Fruit Fly Sex Wars

NPR's Joe Palca reports that scientists have found evidence that competition between the sexes could have a basis in evolution. Studies of fruit flies being released today found that successive generations of males evolved superior ability to pass on their genes. But it came at the expense of females -- the male fruit flies' sperm became toxic.

Copyright 1996 NPR

Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.