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Article Evaluation
"Drosophila melanogaster" - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia


 * Everything mentioned is not only related but important to comprehending the science around Drosophila melanogaster. It relays much of the same information we were given before our study of these flies, such as their sexual dimorphism, life cycle, and reasons why they are used so prominently in biological experiments. Of note, however, there was a notification about one section (on male Drosophila) that more citations were needed, which was concerning. Similarly, it did not mention very many genetic markers, perhaps not even half of the ones we studied in our first Drosophila lab. Even ones that we use in our Labs of Our Own, such as miniature wings, are not mentioned. However, the addition of information to these sections is what we will be working on in this project.
 * The article seems to be very neutral, not that there would be much to be biased about regarding Drosophila. The article only serves to provide general information about this species of flies in a concise way. Again, a major subject of note is the lack of information in certain subjects, such as the genetic markers. This is concerning as these markers are key to understanding genetics through the use of Drosophila melanogaster.
 * As far as the credibility of its sources, some of the article's references are rather old, being from 1950 or even 1929. However, the links I have checked seem to work, and they connect to scholarly articles that support the information around Drosophila melanogaster. Even the comparatively old articles are reasonable, considering that the study of these flies started generations ago. These old articles are likely the foundations of newer articles and studies; they establish the information we now experiment by.
 * In the Talk page, interestingly, there are many conversations about finding particular information or data, and one editor mentions the lengthiness of the vision section and discusses its ability to be its own individual page. This is notable, considering our own evaluations asks that we focus on problems such as these, and this particular exchange happened back in 2005. The conversations on the Talk page go into much more detail than our own studies have, likely because they're trying to expand on what is already known by Wikipedia, which covers a notable portion of what we have covered in lecture and lab.

Article Research - Miniature Wings of Drosophila melanogaster
"The Downregulation of the Miniature Gene Does Not Replicate Miniature Loss-Of-Function Phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster Wing to the Full Extent"


 * The miniature wings are 1.5x shorter than wild-type but are believed to have the same number of cells. This is due to the lack of complete flattening by these cells, making the overall structure of the wing seem shorter in comparison. The pathway of wing expansion is regulated by a signal-receptor pathway, where the neurohormone bursicon interacts with its complimentary G protein-coupled receptor; this receptor drives one of the G-protein subunits to signal further enzyme activity and results in development in the wing, such as apoptosis and growth.

"Gene: Dmel/m" - FlyBase


 * The wings may also demonstrate other characteristics deviant from the wild-type wing, such as a duller and cloudier color.

"The Origin of Nine Wing Mutations in Drosophila" - T.H. Morgan


 * One of the first records of the miniature mutation of wings was made by Thomas Hunt Morgan in 1911. He described the wings as having a similar shape as the wild-type phenotype. However, their miniature designation refers to the lengths of their wings, which do not stretch beyond their body and, thus, are notably shorter than the wild-type length. He also noted its inheritance is connected to the sex of the fly and could be paired with the inheritance of other sex-determined traits such as white eyes.