Modeling

Recent articles

Digital model of a fly next to a digital model of a nematode.

‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models

The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.

By Natalia Mesa
2 April 2026 | 5 min read

David Sussillo on persistence, luck and the bonds between life and work

In a Q&A about his new book, “Emergence,” Sussillo shares why he wrote it and how challenging circumstances shaped his journey into neuroscience.

By Francisco J. Rivera Rosario, David Sussillo
17 March 2026 | 7 min watch
A hand moves a square within a set of squares in a consistent gradient, while a hand of lines representing computation passes through.

How to collaborate with AI

To make the best use of LLMs in research, turn your scientific question into a set of concrete, checkable proposals, wire up an automatic scoring loop, and let the AI iterate.

By Kenneth Harris
19 January 2026 | 6 min read
Research image of stem cells derived from people of African ancestry.

Bringing African ancestry into cellular neuroscience

Two independent teams in Africa are developing stem cell lines and organoids from local populations to explore neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.

By Lauren Schenkman
14 January 2026 | 7 min read
Brain-shaped go-karts race.

The 1,000 neuron challenge

A competition to design small, efficient neural models might provide new insight into real brains—and perhaps unite disparate modeling efforts.

By Tom Stafford
5 January 2026 | 8 min read
A group of researchers reading while institutions crumble in the background, and giant mice appear on the horizon.

The Transmitter’s favorite essays of 2025

Throughout a tumultuous year in science, researchers opined on policy changes and funding uncertainty, as well as scientific trends and the impact of artificial-intelligence tools on the field.

By The Transmitter
24 December 2025 | 2 min read
Brain organoid.

What is the future of organoid and assembloid regulation?

Four experts weigh in on how to establish ethical guardrails for research on the 3D neuron clusters as these models become ever more complex.

By Claudia López Lloreda
10 December 2025 | 7 min read

Tatiana Engel explains how to connect high-dimensional neural circuitry with low-dimensional cognitive functions

Neuroscientists have long sought to understand the relationship between structure and function in the vast connectivity and activity patterns in the brain. Engel discusses her modeling approach to discovering the hidden patterns that connect the two.

By Paul Middlebrooks
3 December 2025 | 1 min read
A worm made of circuitry.

Whole-brain, bottom-up neuroscience: The time for it is now

Applying new tools to entire brains, starting with C. elegans, offers the opportunity to uncover how molecules work together to generate neural physiology and how neurons work together to generate behavior.

By Edward Boyden, Konrad Körding
20 October 2025 | 9 min read
Illustration of a series of shapes, with a few resembling human eyes.

The visual system’s lingering mystery: Connecting neural activity and perception

Figuring out how the brain uses information from visual neurons may require new tools. I asked 10 neuroscientists what experimental and conceptual methods they think we’re missing.

By Grace Lindsay
13 October 2025 | 24 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Nearly 400 compounds affect behaviors tied to autism-linked genes in zebrafish

Estropipate, paclitaxel and levocarnitine altered behaviors tied to SCN2A and DYRK1A variants specifically, a new open-source platform revealed.

By Charles Q. Choi
16 April 2026 | 4 min read

What neuroscientists want from a new NINDS director

The search is underway for the next director of the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, who will face a range of challenges, neuroscientists say, but will also have an “immense opportunity to do good things.”

By Helena Kudiabor
15 April 2026 | 4 min read
3D illustration of arterial blood supply in the human brain.

Arousal neurons’ activity explains brain’s blood flow dynamics in mice

The findings could influence how researchers interpret signals from techniques that use blood flow as a surrogate for neuronal activity.

By Claudia López Lloreda
15 April 2026 | 5 min read