Overview
- UC Riverside researchers spun fruit flies in a custom centrifuge at 4G to 13G, and the insects survived, mated, and later returned to typical behavior.
- Short exposures produced opposite effects by level, with 4G causing hyperactivity after 24 hours and 7G to 13G reducing movement before recovery.
- The team tracked behavior with infrared movement sensors and a climbing test that measures the flies’ drive to move upward against gravity.
- Longer trials showed resilience across the life span and across generations, including 10 straight generations reproducing under constant hypergravity.
- Metabolism shifted with behavior, with a brief rise in fat stores followed by higher energy use, and the authors caution that fruit flies differ from humans even as the work informs high‑G flight and reentry risks.