[Repair of damage induced by x-rays to embryos of Drosophila (D. melanogaster Meig)].

The sensitivity of Drosophila eggs to the lethal action of X-rays does not remain constant during embryogenesis. The X-ray doses used in the present investigation may retard the hatching of the larvae but do not block development immediately after irradiation. A fraction of the damage induced in young embryos is repaired during gastrulation. The amount of repair is independent of the X-ray dose but is influenced by the temperature. The damage can be repaired even after the cells of the embryo have undergone many mitotic cycles.