Neuroscience: Flies and grits

Food texture affects palatability. A new study finds that the common dew fly Drosophila melanogaster is also choosy when it comes to food texture. Flies evaluate size and presence of food particles through neurons in the tongue that express the mechanically activated channel protein TMEM63.

Automated summary

Food texture plays a role in determining the palatability of food, and a recent study shows that the common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is selective about food texture, using neurons in the tongue expressing the mechanosensitive channel protein TMEM63 to evaluate the size and presence of food particles.