Is It a Fruit Fly Brain?

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Imeen: Brain imaging relies on measuring changes in, essentially energy consumption. "It sets a limit on how rapidly one could hope to measure changes in nural activity" The cell makes its prediction about how much a t p it's going to need in the future over many seconds and 50 seconds is an eternity. Imeen: Does it suggest new possibilities for brain imaging technology? Absolutely.

Ultra-precise measurements connect brain activity and energy use in individual fruit-fly neurons.

Vote for our mini-series ‘Stick to the Science’: when science gets political in this year’s Webby Awards.

In this episode:

00:45 How brain cells use energy

A team of researchers have looked in individual fruit-fly neurons to better understand how energy use and information processing are linked – which may have important implications for future fMRI studies in humans.

Research Article: Mann et al.

07:04 Research Highlights

A tough but flexible material inspired by lobster underbellies, and research reveals that red meat consumption hasn't dropped since the 1960s.

Research Highlight: Material mimicking lobster belly cracks the code for toughness

Research Highlight: Meat lovers worldwide pay climate little heed

10:15 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, early results for a new malaria vaccine look positive, and researchers unearth the latest chapter in a long-running plant experiment.

Nature News: Malaria vaccine shows promise — now come tougher trials

BBC News: Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough

New York Times: One of the World’s Oldest Science Experiments Comes Up From the Dirt

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