Researchers completed a wiring diagram of an entire adult fly brain. The connectome traces roughly 140,000 neurons and their tens of millions of connections. It is the most complete map of a complex brain to date.
A whole brain
Completeness is the feat. Every neuron in the fly brain is mapped. Nothing is left out.
Millions of links
Scale is huge. Tens of millions of connections were traced. Detail is exhaustive.
Circuit logic
Function follows. The map reveals how circuits compute. Behavior can be explained.
AI-assisted tracing
Tools enabled it. Automated methods traced neurons at scale. Humans checked the work.
A reference
Value is lasting. The connectome anchors fly neuroscience. Research builds on it.
Bigger brains next
Ambition grows. Larger nervous systems are targeted. Methods must scale.
The bottom line
Researchers mapped the complete connectome of an adult fly brain, tracing about 140,000 neurons and tens of millions of connections. AI-assisted tracing enabled it. It is the most complete complex-brain map yet.
