Uploaded July 2018 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
Every Neuron of a Fruit Fly Brain, In Nanoscopic Detail
Those fruit flies buzzing around your pantry might be pesky, but to a neuroscientist, they’re a gold mine of information. The insects, tiny though they may be, are surprisingly sophisticated, boasting at least 100,000 neurons in a brain that handles everything from navigating via visual cues to complicated grooming rituals.
For years, brain experts have been chiseling away at the daunting task of mapping this tiny insect’s brain, which is about the size of a poppy seed. And now, researchers have a high-resolution image of the entire fruit fly brain — a crucial tool for mapping out the connections between neurons.
In a paper published in Cell, Davi Bock, a neuroscientist at the Janelia Research Campus at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and his team describe how they used a technique called electron microscopy (EM) coupled with new high-speed imaging tools to create the portrait.
Read more: discovermagazine.com/mind/every-neuron-of-a-fruit-fly-brain-in-nanoscopic-detail
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Visualization by Philipp Schlegel, Drosophila Connectomics Group, Cambridge
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Every Neuron of a Fruit Fly Brain, In Nanoscopic Detail
Those fruit flies buzzing around your pantry might be pesky, but to a neuroscientist, they’re a gold mine of information. The insects, tiny though they may be, are surprisingly sophisticated, boasting at least 100,000 neurons in a brain that handles everything from navigating via visual cues to complicated grooming rituals.
For years, brain experts have been chiseling away at the daunting task of mapping this tiny insect’s brain, which is about the size of a poppy seed. And now, researchers have a high-resolution image of the entire fruit fly brain — a crucial tool for mapping out the connections between neurons.
In a paper published in Cell, Davi Bock, a neuroscientist at the Janelia Research Campus at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and his team describe how they used a technique called electron microscopy (EM) coupled with new high-speed imaging tools to create the portrait.
Read more: discovermagazine.com/mind/every-neuron-of-a-fruit-fly-brain-in-nanoscopic-detail
—
Visualization by Philipp Schlegel, Drosophila Connectomics Group, Cambridge
—
ABOUT DISCOVER:
Discover is your source for science that matters, makes sense and is a lot of fun, too.
Visit us at: discovermagazine.com
FOLLOW US:
Facebook: facebook.com/DiscoverMag
Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoverMag
Instagram: instagram.com/discover.magazine
SUPPORT US:
Subscribe to Discover: bit.ly/34seAFT
Sign up for our newsletter: discovermagazine.com/newsletter-signup
My Science Shop: myscienceshop.com
STAY CURIOUS!
