GoKawiilGoogle and Janelia Complete Second Full Connectome of Fruit Fly Brain
Researchers from Google and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus have finished mapping every neuron and synaptic connection in the brain of a male fruit fly. This male connectome joins a female Drosophila map completed earlier this year, giving scientists two complete wiring diagrams of the same species' brain for comparison. The project combined Janelia's imaging expertise with Google's computational tools to process hundreds of millions of synapses.
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Having two complete connectomes from different sexes of the same species allows researchers to study how brain wiring varies between individuals, not just document a single static map. The computational techniques refined here are designed to scale toward mapping increasingly complex nervous systems, potentially including those of vertebrates, making this a stepping stone toward far more ambitious brain-mapping projects.
- A complete map of every neuron and synapse in a male fruit fly brain has been finished, following an earlier female Drosophila connectome.
- The project required combining Janelia's biological imaging expertise with Google's computational and machine-learning capabilities.
- The techniques developed are intended to be scaled up for mapping more complex brains, potentially including vertebrate nervous systems.
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Published there as: “Second complete map of a fruit fly brain completed”
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