My kitchen is filled with fruit at the moment- fruit that I am dehydrating, fruit that I am eating and fruit that I will either can or use to make jam. Today, fruit flies showed up in my kitchen in force. When I was frustrated with these tiny insects last year, I decided to learn more about them. I shared the information I learned on this blog. Since I assume that I’m not the only person who is dealing with fruit flies right now, I am going to reprint that post below. Continue reading “The Fascinating Fruit Fly”→
As many of you know, learning Sanskrit is a passion of mine. I take two classes a week and each of the classes require that I write five or more sentences in Sanskrit. This week I decided to do something even more ambitious. I took much of the information from my recent fruit fly post and translated it into Sanskrit. I finished the homework by writing the sentences as if they were being spoken in a science class where the teacher was asking the children what they knew about fruit flies.
आचार्या – सुप्रभातं बालाः। अद्यतन विषयः फल-मक्षिकाः।
Teacher – Good morning children. Today’s topic is fruit flies.
आचर्या – भवन्तः विषये फल-मक्षिकानां किं जानन्तिः।
Teacher – What do you know about fruit flies?
सुल्मा – फल-मक्षिकाः अष्टतः दश-दिनानि जीवन्ति।
Sulma – Fruit flies live from 8 to 10 days.
आचर्या – उत्तमं सुल्मा। डेविद्?|
Teacher – Very good Sulma! David?
डेविद् – स्त्री फल-मक्षिकाः पञ्चशत-अण्डानि दश-दिनेषु स्ठापयन्ति|
David – Female fruit flies lay 500 eggs in 10 days.
आचर्या – सम्य़क् डेविद्। रमणः?|
Teacher – Good David. Ramana?
रमणः – एकस्मिन् फल-मक्षिकस्य नेत्रे ७६० दीप्तोपलाः सन्ति|
Ramana – In a fruit fly’s eye there are 760 lenses.
बार्बरा – फल-मक्षिकाणां रक्त-नेत्रौ पिङ्गल-देहा: तेषाम् उदरेषु कृष्ण-रेखाः च सन्ति |
Barbara – Fruit flies have red eyes, brown bodies, and black stripes on their abdomens.
सवत्री – फल-मक्षिका: पक्षौ द्विशत-वारं पतिक्षणं अ्भिविक्षपन्ति |
Savatri – Fruit flies wings beat 200 times per second.
रामा – फल-मक्षिका: विज्ञान-प्रकल्पेषु उपयुक्ता: सन्ति |
Rama- Fruit flies are useful in scientific research
कर्ल् – फल-मक्षिका: चत्वरि-chromosomes मानवानां इव सन्ति |
Carl – Fruit flies have four chromosomes that are similar to humans’ chromosomes.
सुमती – फल-मक्षिका: Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, aging, cancer, immunity, alcohol, and drug abuse विज्ञान-प्रकल्पेषु उपयुक्ता: सन्ति |
Sumati – Fruit flies are used in Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, aging, cancer, immunity, alcohol, and drug abuse research.
सुसन् – फल-मक्षिका: क्षीयमाणानि फलानि शखानि खादन्ति।
Susan – Fruit flies eat decaying fruits and vegetables.
स्टॆव् – विगल-फलानि मा खादतु। तेषु फल-मक्षिक-अण्डानि भवेयुः|
Steve – Don’t eat rotten fruit. There may be fruit fly eggs and disease (causing organisms) in them.
आचर्या – उत्तमं बालाः। श्वः इतोपि वदिष्यामः विषयॆ फल-मक्षिकाणां |
Teacher – Very good, children. Tomorrow we will talk more about fruit flies.
[Thank you Madhavi for helping me with this translation! I so appreciate your constant support.]
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”-William Shakespeare