Evolution

Recent articles

Nikolay Kukushkin discusses his book, ‘One Hand Clapping: Unraveling the Mystery of the Human Mind’

He explains how meaning arises in the interactions found throughout nature and evolution, from molecules to minds.

By Paul Middlebrooks
8 October 2025 | 1 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
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
Judit Pungor and Angelique Allen stand in front of a saltwater tank.

Cephalopods, vision’s next frontier

For decades, scientists have been teased by the strange but inaccessible cephalopod visual system. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough from a lab in Oregon, data are finally coming straight from the octopus brain.

By Calli McMurray
27 May 2025 | 14 min listen
Violet-stained neurons in a serial transverse section from an embryonic spiny dogfish, a bottom-dwelling shark.

Digitization of ‘breathtaking’ neuroanatomy slide collection offers untapped research gold mine

Thousands of histological sections of vertebrate brains—including from spiny dogfish, turtles and more—are newly available online.

By Shaena Montanari
22 January 2025 | 3 min read
Illustration of a lab with a smoking crater in the middle of the floor.

The Transmitter’s favorite features of 2024

Our chosen stories include tales about research misconduct in the lab, a neuroscientist working at the end of the world, and the passing of neuroanatomy’s “great-grandfather,” Harvey Karten.

By The Transmitter
23 December 2024 | 2 min read
Illustration of a shrew, sandpiper, locust, axolotl, monarch butterfly, African killifish, naked mole rat, octopus, bat and cichlid.

The non-model organism “renaissance” has arrived

Meet 10 neuroscientists bringing model diversity back with the funky animals they study.

Dima Rinberg smells one of the compounds in his lab, looking at camera with a quizzical expression.

Sniffing out the mysteries of olfaction

A background in physics, and his own curiosity, have helped Dmitry Rinberg tackle the complexities of the neuroscience of smell.

By Lina Zeldovich
11 December 2024 | 13 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Nachum Ulanovsky sits against a black background with one bat in his hands and another with its wings spread above his head.

Diving in with Nachum Ulanovsky

With an eye toward realism, the neuroscientist creates microcosms of the natural world to understand animal behavior, including in a bat study published today.

By Claudia López Lloreda
16 October 2025 | 14 min listen
Developing human fetus.

Gene-activity map of developing brain reveals new clues about autism’s sex bias

Boys and girls may be vulnerable to different genetic changes, which could help explain why the condition is more common in boys despite linked variants appearing more often in girls.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
16 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Research image of astrocytic activation in mice.

Engrams in amygdala lean on astrocytes to solidify memories

Disrupting the astrocyte-neuronal dynamic in mice destabilizes their memory of fear conditioning.

By Lauren Schneider
15 October 2025 | 6 min listen

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