Palin Mocks 'Fruit Fly Research' That Aids Autistic Children

In a policy speech yesterday, Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin spoke about cutting earmarks and one of the projects she want to cut was “fruit fly research” even though it has helped autism research.

VP candidate Sarah Palin gave her first policy speech and talked about allocating funds for Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law that ensures services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. She said more funding is needed from the government for children with disabilities such as autism. She told the audience:

For many parents of children with disabilities, the most valuable thing of all is information. Early identification of a cognitive or other disorder, especially autism, can make a life-changing difference.

Palin has a special needs child and her sister has a child with autism, so she is very keen in helping children with disabilities. She said the U.S. Congress wastes money on too many unnecessary projects such as “fruit fly research in France” and instead should be reallocated to take care of the vulnerable children. She said in her speech:

Where does a lot of that earmark money end up anyway? […] You've heard about some of these pet projects they really don't make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.

The “fruit fly research” she mocked unfortunately is not a wasteful project, it actually helps autism research. Scientists use rats, mice, fruit flies (Drosophila) and others with whom we share some genes.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein called neurexin is required for...nerve cell connections to form and function correctly.

The discovery, made in Drosophila fruit flies may lead to advances in understanding autism spectrum disorders, as recently, human neurexins have been identified as a genetic risk factor for autism

. Scientists have used fruit flies and 4 of them Thomas Hunt Morgan in 1909, Hermann Muller in 1946, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus in 1995 won Nobel Prizes, for their pioneering research. There are nearly 65455 research articles and more than 11,620 books related to fruit flies according to Daily Kos. The fruit flies have helped autism research immensely and have revolutionized the study of birth defects. So, there is nothing to kid about “fruit fly research” Mrs. Palin, they have helped us immensely and can help her sister's child even. They are not an earmark, they are a necessity for the future of mankind.