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 | 19 min listen
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 listen
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 | 7 min listen
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 listen
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 | 7 min listen
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 listen
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 | 7 min listen
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

Protein tug-of-war controls pace of synaptic development, sets human brains apart

Human-specific duplicates of SRGAP2 prolong cortical development by manipulating SYNGAP, an autism-linked protein that slows synaptic growth.

By Holly Barker
23 October 2025 | 7 min read
Mouse sensory neurons express the ion channel TPRV1 .

Neurons tune electron transport chain to survive onslaught of noxious stimuli

Nociceptors tamp down the production of reactive oxygen species in response to heat, chemical irritants or toxins.

By Viviane Callier
22 October 2025 | 5 min listen

Vicente Raja brings ecological psychology concepts to neuroscience

He suggests neuroscientists should pay more attention to the principles of Gibsonian ecological psychology, such as affordances, ecological information and resonance, to better explain perception and action.

By Paul Middlebrooks
22 October 2025 | 99 min listen

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