Scientists Map Fruit Fly Brain to Learn Its Functions
2024-10-15
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1A group of international scientists recently announced they had made a map of the whole "brain" of an adult fruit fly.
2They said the milestone would provide new knowledge about the brains of all animals including humans.
3The research gives details of more than 50 million connections between 139,000 neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain of the fruit fly.
4The scientific name of the animal is Drosophila melanogaster.
5It is often used in scientific experiments, especially studies of nerve cells.
6The researchers wanted to find out exactly how the brain cells operate when they are healthy and normal.
7Sebastian Seung was one of the leaders of the research, which was published as a series of studies in Nature.
8Seung is a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey.
9He said, "You might be asking why we should care about the brain of a fruit fly. My simple answer is that if we can truly understand how any brain functions, it's bound to tell us something about all brains."
10The brain of a fruit fly is small - less than one millimeter wide.
11But some scientists are very interested in them. "It's beautiful," said Cambridge researcher Gregory Jefferis.
12The researchers created what they called a "wiring diagram" of an adult fruit fly.
13It is also called a "connectome" map.
14The goal was to create a map that shows how neurons connect to one another and how they operate.
15Similar research has been done with simpler forms of life.
16For example, scientists have mapped the "brain" of a worm called Caenorhabditis elegans.
17They have also mapped the neural material of the larval form of the fruit fly.
18But the adult fruit fly was more complex.
19The idea was to link the neural connections to the behavior of the animal.
20Mala Murthy was another co-leader of the research from Princeton.
21Murthy said, "One of the major questions we're addressing is how the wiring in the brain, its neurons and connections, can give rise to animal behavior."
22One of the studies in the series examined the brain circuits involved in walking. It discovered how flies halt.
23Another studied the fly's network of neurons associated with tasting and also grooming circuits.
24These circuits are behind the behavior in which a fly uses its leg to remove dirt from antennae on its head.
25One of the studies examined how a fly processes motion and color information.
26And still another looked closely at how parts of the fly's brain were connected.
27That study discovered that a large group of neurons called "hub neurons" might help speed up the flow of information.
28The researchers created the map by following how both sides of the brain were organized and linked the circuits they identified to behaviors.
29They also identified classes of cells in the fly's brain and examined the chemical connections between neurons known as synapses.
30The international collaboration of scientists called FlyWire Consortium carried out the research.
31I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1A group of international scientists recently announced they had made a map of the whole "brain" of an adult fruit fly. 2They said the milestone would provide new knowledge about the brains of all animals including humans. 3The research gives details of more than 50 million connections between 139,000 neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain of the fruit fly. 4The scientific name of the animal is Drosophila melanogaster. It is often used in scientific experiments, especially studies of nerve cells. 5The researchers wanted to find out exactly how the brain cells operate when they are healthy and normal. 6Sebastian Seung was one of the leaders of the research, which was published as a series of studies in Nature. Seung is a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey. He said, "You might be asking why we should care about the brain of a fruit fly. My simple answer is that if we can truly understand how any brain functions, it's bound to tell us something about all brains." 7The brain of a fruit fly is small - less than one millimeter wide. But some scientists are very interested in them. "It's beautiful," said Cambridge researcher Gregory Jefferis. 8What the map showed 9The researchers created what they called a "wiring diagram" of an adult fruit fly. It is also called a "connectome" map. The goal was to create a map that shows how neurons connect to one another and how they operate. 10Similar research has been done with simpler forms of life. For example, scientists have mapped the "brain" of a worm called Caenorhabditis elegans. They have also mapped the neural material of the larval form of the fruit fly. But the adult fruit fly was more complex. The idea was to link the neural connections to the behavior of the animal. 11Mala Murthy was another co-leader of the research from Princeton. Murthy said, "One of the major questions we're addressing is how the wiring in the brain, its neurons and connections, can give rise to animal behavior." 12One of the studies in the series examined the brain circuits involved in walking. It discovered how flies halt. Another studied the fly's network of neurons associated with tasting and also grooming circuits. These circuits are behind the behavior in which a fly uses its leg to remove dirt from antennae on its head. 13One of the studies examined how a fly processes motion and color information. And still another looked closely at how parts of the fly's brain were connected. That study discovered that a large group of neurons called "hub neurons" might help speed up the flow of information. 14The researchers created the map by following how both sides of the brain were organized and linked the circuits they identified to behaviors. They also identified classes of cells in the fly's brain and examined the chemical connections between neurons known as synapses. 15The international collaboration of scientists called FlyWire Consortium carried out the research. 16I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 17Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20milestone -n. a sign that a major goal has been reached 21function -n. to purpose for something and the job that it does 22diagram -n. a simplified picture that shows how something works 23give rise to -v. (phrasal) to cause; to bring about 24circuit -n. a complete path by which electricity travels away from and returns to its source 25antenna (antennae pl.) -n. the long structures attached to the heads of insects that help them feel and sense 26We want to hear from you. 27Our comment policy is here.