Fly after-party: The effects of human toxicants on fly behavior

When people die, they are often intoxicated with one or more substances. After death occurs flies are often the first thing to be attracted to the body. This experiment was performed to find how flies’ behaviors are changed when these substances are present at the corpse. Flies of the species Musca domestica were fed various substances that are commonly found in intoxicated individuals. These substances were CBD oil, nicotine, and alcohol. The behaviors and mortality of these flies was recorded and compared to control flies fed on a sugar water solution. The findings of this preliminary experiment could lead to a larger study, which could change in post-mortem intervals calculations when the deceased are found to be intoxicated.