Texas Student Ria Chhabra uses fruit flies to study benefits of organic products

Look at what Ria Chhabra is into these days! This 16-year-old Texas student is going behind the noble fruit fly so as to use it to investigate the benefits of organic foods over conventionally-raised foods. The fruit fly has been sought after earlier too, as it is easy to breed, feed and observe scientific hints.

Chhabra noticed the rates of stress, fertility, and longevity of the flies and rated how they fared on organic potatoes and bananas that were provided to them.

Chhabra is presently studying fruit flies in her quest to investigate Type 2 diabetes. She is probing into whether remedies like cinnamon and turmeric can be useful in alleviating the ailment.

She is busy searching for colleges that might go along with her in her future quests. No matter which college she studies in, she is looking at serious innovative, research-oriented learning.

Her findings have been published, and she has partnered with a research laboratory at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She was named a finalist in the 2011 Broadcom Masters National Scientific Challenge too.

At her first middle school science fair, she conducted Vitamin C content experiments on organic and supermarket products. She then concluded that organic products have more Vitamin C content, which helps maintain overall health.

Chhabra has also worked with Johannes Bauer, an associate professor at SMU in Dallas, who was very impressed with her great amount of seriousness. She published her findings at the age of 14.