VOA科学技术2024--Scientists Map Fruit Fly Brain to Learn Its Functions

A group of international scientists recently announced they had made a map of the whole "brain" of an adult fruit fly.

They said the milestone¹ would provide new knowledge about the brains of all animals including humans.

The research gives details of more than 50 million connections between 139,000 neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain of the fruit fly.

The scientific name of the animal is Drosophila melanogaster. It is often used in scientific experiments, especially studies of nerve cells.

The researchers wanted to find out exactly how the brain cells operate when they are healthy and normal.

Sebastian 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 Jersey². 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."

The 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.

What the map showed

The 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.

Similar 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 neural³ 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.

Mala 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."

One 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 grooming⁴ circuits. These circuits are behind the behavior in which a fly uses its leg to remove dirt from antennae⁶ on its head.

One 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.

The 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 synapses⁷.

The international collaboration⁸ of scientists called FlyWire Consortium carried out the research.

Words in This Story

milestone -n. a sign that a major goal has been reached

function -n. to purpose for something and the job that it does

diagram -n. a simplified picture that shows how something works

give rise to -v. (phrasal) to cause; to bring about

circuit -n. a complete path by which electricity travels away from and returns to its source

antenna⁵ (antennae pl.) -n. the long structures attached to the heads of insects that help them feel and sense

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

4 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

5 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

6 antennae   

n.天线；触角

参考例句：

• Sometimes a creature uses a pair of antennae to swim.有时某些动物使用其一对触须来游泳。
• Cuba's government said that Cubans found watching American television on clandestine antennae would face three years in jail.古巴政府说那些用秘密天线收看美国电视的古巴人将面临三年监禁。

7 synapses   

n.（神经元的）突触( synapse的名词复数 )；染色体结合( synapsis的名词复数 )；联会；突触；（神经元的）触处

参考例句：

• Nerve cells communicate with one another at the synapses, where their membranes almost touch. 神经细胞在突触部位彼此沟通，在这里它们的膜几乎接触到一起了。 来自辞典例句
• Glutamatergic synapses are common excitatory chemical connections in mammalian central nervous system. 谷氨酸性突触是哺乳动物神经系统的主要兴奋性突触。 来自互联网

8 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。