The neuronal mechanism behind motivation

Our actions are motivated by the goals we want to achieve. However, little is known about the mechanism in our brains that allow us to make the right decisions to reach our goals. Researchers in the Lüthi lab now identified ...

Flies navigate using complex mental math

The treadmills in Rachel Wilson's laboratories at Harvard Medical School aren't like any you'll find at a gym. They're spherical, for one, and encased in bowling ball–sized plastic bubbles. They're also built for flies.

How to read a jellyfish's mind

The human brain has 100 billion neurons, making 100 trillion connections. Understanding the precise circuits of brain cells that orchestrate all of our day-to-day behaviors—such as moving our limbs, responding to fear and ...

Sun compass on demand

Monarch butterflies are famous for their annual long-distance migration, which takes them over several thousand kilometers from the north of the USA to their overwintering habitat in central Mexico. On their migration, the ...

Unraveling the origins of innate behavior in flies

Human babies are born knowing how to suckle, and larval flies hatch knowing how to crawl. But even these innate behaviors don't appear out of nowhere.

New fish species discovered after years of scientific studies

Scientists identify and name new fish species around the globe practically every week. Some turn up in unlikely places, and others display unusual characteristics and behaviors. But it's rare for an unidentified and unnamed ...

Zebrafish predict the future to avoid virtual danger

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) and collaborators in Japan have discovered particular neurons in the brain that monitor whether predictions made by fish actually come true. By making use of a new ...

Decoding birds' brain signals into syllables of song

Researchers can predict what syllables a bird will sing—and when it will sing them—by reading electrical signals in its brain, reports a new study from the University of California San Diego.

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