Is Drosphila the answer? The role of model species in biological research

Biological research has been dominated by focussed effort on few model species and recent commentaries further discourage broadening the range of study species. It is undeniable that we now have unprecedented detail of information on the genetic, molecular and cellular biology of model species, but whether their biology can be broadly generalised is unclear. By channelling research into a limited range of species, we miss the opportunity to test theory on a wider range of species and the discovery of new biological phenomena. With new technologies and laboratory facilities becoming more affordable and accessible, establishing new species as models has never been more promising and important.