7th-grade US student tests brain trauma treatment on 350 fruit flies after brother's injury

Alekha Goldberg, a seventh-grade US student, has tested a potential treatment for traumatic brain injury after her brother was hurt. She tested methylene blue on 350 fruit flies and found that those receiving the highest dose had better survival rates and mobility. Her research earned her a finalist spot in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.