Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda Mala Murthy: From a Fly’s Brain to Yours
Feb 4, 2025
Mala Murthy, a Professor of Neuroscience at Princeton University and co-leader of the Flywire Consortium, dives into the intricacies of the fruit fly's brain mapping. She reveals that understanding its 500 feet of neural wiring can provide insights into human cognition and potential disease treatments. The genetic similarities between fruit flies and humans open new avenues for research. Plus, she highlights how citizen scientists are revolutionizing neurological studies through collaboration and storytelling, bridging the gap between science and community.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Fly Brain Complexity
- A fruit fly's brain, though small, contains 140,000 neurons and 50 million connections.
- Studying its wiring can offer insights into how thoughts, perceptions, and actions arise in more complex brains, including human brains.
Genetic Similarities
- Surprisingly, 60% of fruit fly genes are similar to human genes.
- This similarity makes sense because flies and humans perform many of the same life functions and live in the same world.
Fly Evasion
- Flies devote half of their neurons to processing visual information, explaining their strong visual acuity.
- They integrate visual and mechanosensory information to escape threats, making them hard to swat.
