Breakthrough in Neuroscience: Complete Brain Map of Male Fruit Fly Revealed

A team of researchers from HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Google Research, and collaborators has successfully mapped every single neural connection in the brain and central nervous system of an adult male fruit fly. The years-long project is a significant step forward in advancing neuroscience experiments on this key model organism.

The complete brain map includes a record-breaking 166,000 neurons, more than any previous mapping effort. This achievement was made possible by AI's ability to exponentially scale projects in the field of connectomics, which precisely reconstructs connections between brain cells.

The new map builds on an earlier release of a complete female fruit fly brain map and promises to be a foundational resource for neuroscience for years to come. The researchers shared five images from the project, highlighting key aspects of the male fruit fly's brain and nervous system.