Drosophila

Recent articles

Collage of fruit fly and money.

Fly database secures funding for another year, but future remains in flux

The FlyBase team’s fundraising efforts have proven successful in the short term, but restoration of its federal grant remains uncertain.

By Calli McMurray
17 October 2025 | 3 min read
A drosophila connectome.

One year of FlyWire: How the resource is redefining Drosophila research

We asked nine neuroscientists how they are using FlyWire data in their labs, how the connectome has transformed the field and what new tools they would like to see in the future.

By Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
7 October 2025 | 17 min read
Map of the fly nervous system.

Local circuit loops within body control fly behavior, new ‘embodied’ connectome reveals

The mapping, which traces how the central nervous system interacts with the rest of the body, challenges the idea that behavior control is centralized.

By Claudia López Lloreda
24 September 2025 | 5 min read
Sleep-control neurons glow cyan in the central nervous system of a fly.

Mitochondria set ‘ancient’ metabolic thermostat for sleep in flies, separate from circadian rhythms

During waking hours, a specialized set of sleep neurons in the fly brain accumulates reactive oxygen species, which eventually trigger sleep to clean up and repair the damage they do.

By Viviane Callier
9 September 2025 | 5 min read
A crumpled fly.

Exclusive: Harvard University lays off fly database team

The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.

By Claudia López Lloreda
13 August 2025 | 5 min read
Research image of connectomes for two fly species.

Cross-species connectome comparison shows uneven olfactory circuit evolution in flies

The findings start to reveal evolutionary changes that may have helped two species develop different olfactory preferences and adapt to their particular environments.

By Marta Hill
1 August 2025 | 6 min read
Different colored rectangles form the shapes of a bird, fish and insect.

Systems and circuit neuroscience need an evolutionary perspective

To identify fundamental neuroscientific principles that generalize across species, neuroscientists must frame their research through an evolutionary lens.

By Karl Farrow, Katja Reinhard
16 July 2025 | 6 min read
Illustration of a fly in various poses.

This paper changed my life: Bradley Dickerson on how a 1940s fly neuroanatomy paper influences his research to this day

This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught me to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.

By Bradley Dickerson
17 June 2025 | 5 min read
Research image of developing axons in the fly brain.

How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate

Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

By Calli McMurray
6 June 2025 | 6 min read
A crumpled sheet of paper with a fly printed on it.

FlyBase funding squashed amid Harvard grant terminations

The team behind the Drosophila genetics database is now requesting donations from labs to keep the resource afloat.

By Calli McMurray
4 June 2025 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Role of maternal factors in autism; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 November.

By Jill Adams
18 November 2025 | 2 min read
complex stack of rectangular prisms.

Neurophysiology data-sharing system faces funding cliff

After the primary grant supporting Neurodata Without Borders ends in March 2026, the platform may no longer be maintained or kept up to date.

By Lauren Schneider
17 November 2025 | 5 min read
Kevin B Marvel.

A change at the top of SfN as neuroscientists gather in San Diego

Kevin B. Marvel, longtime head of the American Astronomical Society, will lead the Society for Neuroscience after a year of uncertainty in the neuroscience field.

By Natalia Mesa
16 November 2025 | 6 min read

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