Fly Room (Columbia University)

The Fly Room at Columbia University was a pioneering genetics laboratory in the early 20th century, where scientists studied fruit flies to understand inheritance and genetic traits. Because fruit flies reproduce quickly and have simple genetics, they became ideal for experiments on how traits are passed from one generation to the next. The research conducted there helped establish fundamental principles of genetics, influencing modern biology. The Fly Room symbolizes a key period in scientific discovery, demonstrating how studying small organisms can lead to big insights into heredity and evolution.