One of nature’s least complex creatures could help researchers understand some of nature’s most complex behaviors.
Neuroscientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute are using thermogenetics — a technique that controls neurons using heat — to help understand the neural circuits responsible for complicated behavior such as courtship. The research includes triggering mating impulses in flies, Nature reports.
Barry Dickson and his team were able to make flies “fall in love” with a ball of wax using the Fly Mind-Altering Device (FlyMAD). The device tracked the flies with a video camera while they flew around a box, targeting them with an infrared laser that delivered heat to their heads. The researchers also targeted neurons associated with muscle coordination, which made the flies walk backward. Read more…
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Read more : Scientists Can Control Flies’ Minds With Laser Beams
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