Flies release neuronal brakes to fly longer

While mechanical and biophysical aspects of insect flight are well studied, the neurobiology and circuitry underlying it remain poorly understood. For insects, while muscles provide the power for flying, the brain coordinates strategic planning. In the case of a hungry fly, this could mean using its powerful olfaction to sense food, such as a rotten banana, and then navigating the distance to reach it, which may require flying for several minutes or even an hour or more. How does the insect brain coordinate the timing for such long flight bouts? A group of scientists at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, have answered this question in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg