In a world first, scientists at the University of Utah have engineered fruit flies susceptible to cocaine addiction. As surprising as it may sound, humans have a lot in common with fruit flies. Even when previously introduced to cocaine, Rothenfluh’s team noted that the insects routinely opted for pure sugar water over sugar water laced with cocaine. '”After confirming that cocaine activates a fruit fly’s bitter-sensing taste receptors, Rothenfluh and Philyaw switched off those nerves. These modified flies were subsequently introduced to sugar water infused with a low concentration of cocaine.