New research has discovered the distinct aroma beer gives off is attractive to fruit flies and the two have a mutually beneficial relationship.

According to Discovery News, authors of a study published in the journal Cell Reports said that common brewer's yeast is the prominent contributor to beer's odor. The yeast was originally intended to attract fruit flies, which return the favor by spreading the cells about.

"The importance of yeast in beer brewing has long been underestimated. But recent research shows that the choice of a particular yeast strain or variety explains differences in taste between different beers and wines," study co-senior author Kevin Verstrepen, of the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), said in a press release. "In fact, yeasts may even be responsible for much of the 'terroir,' the connection between a particular growing area and wine flavor, which previously often was attributed to differences in the soil."

For beer, yeast is also important in developing flavor, allowing brewers to give their products different notes.

"Flies are strongly attracted to normal yeast cells, when compared to mutant yeasts that don't produce esters," study co-senior author Emre Yaksi, a neuroscientist at the VIB who led the experiments, said in the release. "Knowing that esters make beer taste good, it seems that the same flavors that allow us to enjoy our beer, probably evolved to attract flies and to help yeast disperse into broader ecosystems."

Humans have also used yeast to make bread, beer and wine.

"This ground breaking study was only possible because we were able to combine the know-how of different research groups, with expertise ranging from yeast genetics to animal behavior and neurobiology," study co-author Bassem Hassan said in the release. "It was quite fun to learn from each other."