The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has proved to be an enduring model for biological research. First established as a genetic model over 100 years ago by Thomas Hunt Morgan, it remains one of the most popular and powerful model organisms. Thanks to the continued efforts of the Drosophila research community, it now serves as a model not only for genetic research, but also for a diverse array of studies, ranging from investigations of basic cellular and molecular mechanisms to modeling human diseases.

For this special issue, we invited Drosophila biologists to submit original research studies and technical advances that would be of interest to the broad readership of Developmental Dynamics. In addition, we invited several researchers to submit review articles in their areas of specialization. The collection of reviews and original research papers in this special issue highlight some of the continuing and exciting discoveries coming from Drosophila research.