There seems to more to learn from the humble fruit fly than previously imagined. According to a new study released Friday, female fruit flies release a chemical which attracts the males and this attractant actually shortens the lifespan of the male fruit fly if he did not mate with the female fly shortly after smelling the chemical.

The male fruit flies who were allowed to copulate with the female not only lived longer but suffered less stress. The study conducted by the University of Michigan is published in the Journal Science.

The results offer some insight into the unknown world the perceptions of peers and environment can affect the chemical pathways involved in aging, said Scott D. Pletcher, a molecular physiologist at the University of Michigan, and one of the authors of the study.

In order to reach their conclusions, researchers used sensory manipulation to give male fruit flies the perception that they were in a sexually-rich environment. This was achieved by exposing the male fruit flies to other males that were genetically engineered to produce female pheromones.

If the males were ready to mate but were greeted with unwilling female fruit flies, they experienced more stress and rapid decrease in both fat stores and resistance to starvation. In conclusion, they lived shorter lives than those who were able to mate.

"We immediately observed that they looked quite sick very soon in the presence of these effeminised males," explained Dr Pletcher. The mere act of reproduction normally reduces a fly's life by about 10-15%, but the amount that their life was cut short in this study was unexpected.