Scientists have made an enormous step toward understanding the human brain by building a neuron-by-neuron and synapse-by-synapse roadmap -- scientifically speaking, a 'connectome' -- through the brain of an adult fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Previous researchers have mapped the brain of a C. elegans worm, with its 302 neurons, and the brain of a larval fruit fly, which had 3,000 neurons, but the adult fruit fly is several orders of magnitude more complex, with almost 140,000 neurons and 50 million synapses connecting them. The full brain map is the result of a collaboration between cutting-edge artificial intelligence, gamers, professional tracers, and neuroscientists. This connectome is important not only because the adult Drosophila has the most complex brain ever mapped, but also because fruit flies share many behaviors with humans as well as 75% of the genes that cause genetic diseases.
Read more …Neuroscience breakthrough: Research team has mapped the entire brain of an adult fruit fly for the...
U.S. tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, indirectly cause thousands of deaths for nearly 15 years after a storm. Researchers estimate an average U.S. tropical cyclone indirectly causes 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths. All told, they estimate tropical storms since 1930 have contributed to between 3.6 million and 5.2 million deaths in the U.S. -- more than all deaths nationwide from motor vehicle accidents, infectious diseases, or battle deaths in wars during the same period.
Read more …Study links hurricanes to higher death rates long after storms pass