In the August 21st edition of Cell Stem Cell, D. T. Fox and A. C. Spradling of the Carnegie Institution (Baltimore, MD) reported their study results on the activity of adult stem cells in the hindgut of adult Drosophila. With BrdU clonal labelling experiments, the investigators found quiescent stem cells with very little cell turnover in the anterior ring of the hindgut. The researchers further noted that during larval/pupal development the anterior stem cells do not contribute to the formation of the hindgut. However, during severe tissue damage, the quiescent stem cells in the anterior ring of the pylorus become activated begin to proliferate. The authors concluded that the "hindgut does not provide a model of tissue maintenance by constitutively active stem cells, but has great potential to illuminate mechanisms of stress-induced tissue repair."