Scientists Map Entire Brain of Adult Fruit Fly with 139,255 Neurons in Landmark Study

Oct 2, 2024, 05:45 PM

In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists have successfully mapped the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This comprehensive map, created by the FlyWire Consortium, details 139,255 neurons and over 50 million synapses, spanning 149 metres of biological wiring. The project, which took nearly a decade, involved advanced computing and AI models, notably from the Seung lab, and was supported by numerous volunteers and institutions including Cambridge University, Princeton University, and the NIH BRAIN Initiative. Citizen scientists played a significant role in this effort. The map also identifies 8,453 different types of neurons. This milestone is expected to shed light on human neurological diseases and improve treatments for brain disorders. The research has been published in multiple papers in the journal Nature.