A recent study has revealed that, for males, sex is slightly more significant than having food.
Researchers at the University of Rochester suggest that males can actually suppress their hunger to find a mate.
Douglas Portman, author of the study and associate professor from the University of Rochester's department of biomedical genetics and Center for Neural Development and Disease, explains that the behavior of humans are influenced by many factors, such as social and cultural norms. However, there are subtle changes in how the brains of men and women are wired up, which can show some differences in the behavior of these two sexes.
The researchers examined microscopic roundworm, C. elegans, and hermaphrodites, suggesting that they act differently if they have a choice between food and mating. Hermaphrodites are animals, such as slugs and snails, that do not have separate sexes. The study examined AWA, neurons that have strong association with finding a mate and hunger.
The worms and hermaphrodites were kept in a petri plate and were also given food. Some of the worms were also genetically engineered so that they were more sensitive to smell.
The scientists observed that the normal male worms, which were not genetically manipulated, wandered in search for mates even when a food source was very near. These roundworms mated with the hermaphrodites. However, the genetically altered worms stayed near the food.
The researchers also noted that hermaphrodites always remained near the food source.
The scientists believe that this is not the first time that a study suggests that hermaphrodites stay near food and roundworms wander around. However, the latest study now reveals roundworms actually wander around in search of mates.
In a separate experiment, the scientists also genetically engineered hermaphrodites, which made them act as males, and found that these hermaphrodites also preferred sex to food.
"These findings show that by tuning the properties of a single cell, we can change behavior," says Portman. "This adds to a growing body of evidence that sex-specific regulation of gene expression may play an important role in neural plasticity and, consequently, influence differences in behaviors -- and in disease susceptibility -- between the sexes."
The study is published in the journal Current Biology.
