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Articles by Michael Winding
Connectomes: Mapping the fly nerve cord
In the brain, countless neurons connect via synapses to form dense, interconnected networks buzzing with electrical and chemical signals. The resulting neuronal activation patterns allow us to think and feel; in many ways, they define our individual traits and unique quirks. Such complex computations usually require neural networks that span several subregions of the nervous system.
Generative network modeling reveals quantitative definitions of bilateral symmetry exhibited by a whole insect brain connectome
Accepted manuscript, PDF only. Full online edition to follow. Author Accepted Manuscript PDF only version. The full online version will follow soon. Accepted Manuscript published March 28, 2023 (This version) Accepted March 27, 2023 Received September 27, 2022 Share this article Cite this article Generative network modeling reveals quantitative definitions of bilateral symmetry exhibited by a whole insect brain connectome eLife 12:e83739.
How we created the first map of an insect brain-and what it means for our understanding of the human brain
Imagine trying to navigate an unfamiliar city but you've lost your smartphone. You don't have a map. And the street signs are in a foreign language. This is how neuroscientists feel about studying the brain. Billions of neurons in the human brain make trillions of connections with each other, forming an intricate maze of roads (neural pathways) that make us who we are. A neural pathway is a series of connected neurons that send signals from one part of the brain to another.
How we created the first map of an insect brain - and what it means for our understanding of the human brain
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How we created the first map of an insect brain - and what it means for our understanding of the human brain Original
Imagine trying to navigate an unfamiliar city but you’ve lost your smartphone. You don’t have a map. And the street signs are in a foreign language. This is how neuroscientists feel about studying the brain. Billions of neurons in the human brain make trillions of connections with each other, forming an intricate maze of roads (neural pathways) that make us who we are. A neural pathway is a series of connected neurons that send signals from one part of the brain to another.
Comment on “Human TKTL1 implies greater neurogenesis in frontal neocortex of modern humans than Neanderthals”
LATEST NEWS Abstract Pinson et al. (1) concluded that the modern human TKTL1 gene is responsible for an increased number of cortical neurons. We show that the “putative Neanderthal variant” of TKTL1 is present in modern human backgrounds. We dispute their argument that this genetic variant is responsible for brain differences in modern humans as opposed to Neanderthals. SIGN UP FOR THE SCIENCE eTOC Get the latest table of contents from Science delivered right to you! Pinson et al.
Structure and mechanism of the plant RNA polymerase V
LATEST NEWS Abstract In addition to the conserved RNA polymerases (Pols) I-III in eukaryotes, two atypical polymerases, Pols IV and V, specifically produce non-coding RNA in the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway in plants. Here, we report on the structures of cauliflower Pol V in the free and elongation conformations. A conserved tyrosine residue of NRPE2 stacks with a dsDNA branch of the transcription bubble to potentially attenuate elongation by inducing transcription stalling.
In Other Journals
Metasurfaces Making the passive active Ian S. Osborne Metasurfaces are engineered materials capable of manipulating light just like bulk optical components, but with a thickness of only a couple of hundreds of nanometers. Initially passive devices, recent efforts have been making the surfaces active by applying an external stimulus. This can be done in a number of ways, such as by applying an electrical bias or mechanical strain or by changing the chemical environment. Chen et al.
Quantum state-resolved molecular dipolar collisions over four decades of energy
LATEST NEWS From hot to near-ultracold collisions Despite decades of research, the ability to precisely study molecular collision dynamics is one of the main challenges in molecular physics, especially at low collision energies, which are generally accessible only to certain molecular species. Using Stark deceleration, hexapole state selection, merged beam scattering, and velocity map imaging techniques accompanied by quantum mechanical calculations, Tang et al.
Observation of photon-photon thermodynamic processes under negative optical temperature conditions
LATEST NEWS Going negative Our physical intuition tells us when temperatures are positive. This is also the case for unbounded systems in which adding energy increases the entropy; that is, “hotter” systems are more disordered. For bounded systems, however, the physical picture runs counter to our intuition with the existence of negative temperatures. The addition of energy in this case results in preferential population of the higher energy states and ordering of the system. Marques Muniz et al.
Editor’s note
Information & Authors Information Published In Science Volume 379 | Issue 6636 10 March 2023 Copyright Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Article versions Submission history Published in print: 10 March 2023 Authors Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage Altmetrics Citations Export citation Select the format you want to export the citation of this publication.
In Science Journals
Convergent Evolution Same spots, different lots Corinne Simonti Open in viewer Convergent evolution is exemplified by two species presenting the same phenotype despite having different evolutionary trajectories. Van Belleghem et al. examined two pairs of butterfly species that overlap geographically and present nearly identical wing patterning to assess the conservation of gene expression and regulation.
MINFLUX dissects the unimpeded walking of kinesin-1
LATEST NEWS Zeroing in on motor proteins The super-resolution microscopy technique MINFLUX enables localization of fluorophores using a minimal number of photons. Two studies now expand on the development and implementation of MINFLUX to track motor protein dynamics in vitro and in cells (see the Perspective by Fei and Zhou). Wolff et al. refined the precision of MINFLUX such that single-fluorophore tracking with nanometer precision was possible with only tens of photons.
AI tools can improve equity in science
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Direct observation of motor protein stepping in living cells using MINFLUX
LATEST NEWS Zeroing in on motor proteins The super-resolution microscopy technique MINFLUX enables localization of fluorophores using a minimal number of photons. Two studies now expand on the development and implementation of MINFLUX to track motor protein dynamics in vitro and in cells (see the Perspective by Fei and Zhou). Wolff et al. refined the precision of MINFLUX such that single-fluorophore tracking with nanometer precision was possible with only tens of photons.
High level of novelty under the hood of convergent evolution
LATEST NEWS Same spots, different lots Convergent evolution is exemplified by two species presenting the same phenotype despite having different evolutionary trajectories. Van Belleghem et al. examined two pairs of butterfly species that overlap geographically and present nearly identical wing patterning to assess the conservation of gene expression and regulation.
Dwarfism and gigantism drive human-mediated extinctions on islands
LATEST NEWS Evolutionary arenas Islands often contain distinctive ecological conditions that can lead to unusual evolutionary trajectories such as dwarf mammoths and giant rats. Rozzi et al. looked across extant and extinct species from islands to determine whether these evolutionary “oddities” were more threatened and found that both dwarf and giant species were more at risk for extinction. Further, the arrival of humans, both deep in the past and in the present, accelerated their extinction.
Protein-metabolite interactomics of carbohydrate metabolism reveal regulation of lactate dehydrogenase
LATEST NEWS Probing physiological control Understanding how metabolic state influences cellular processes requires systematic analysis of low-affinity interactions of metabolites with proteins. Hicks et al. describe a method called MIDAS (mass spectrometry integrated with equilibrium dialysis for the discovery of allostery systematically), which allowed them to probe such interactions for 33 enzymes of human carbohydrate metabolism and more than 400 metabolites.
Topologically localized excitons in single graphene nanoribbons
LATEST NEWS Optical properties revealed Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are typically grown on metallic surfaces such as silver or gold. The presence of a metallic substrate makes the optical properties of GNRs difficult to study. To avoid this issue, Jiang et al. grew armchair-edge GNRs on a gold surface and used the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope to transfer them to an adjacent insulating surface.
The connectome of an insect brain
Current Issue There are no results at this time LATEST NEWS A synapse-by-synapse map of a brain Because of technological constraints, imaging entire brains with electron microscopy and reconstructing circuits from such datasets has been challenging. Complete synaptic-resolution connectomes have until now only been mapped for three organisms with up to several hundred brain neurons. Winding et al. describe a three-dimensional electron microscopy–based reconstruction of the larval fruit fly brain.
Toothed whales use distinct vocal registers for echolocation and communication
LATEST NEWS Secrets of whale vocal anatomy Odontocete (“toothed”) whales are well known for using echolocation to forage underwater, but they also produce a wide array of sounds used for social communication. Precisely how all of these sounds are produced was characterized by Madsen et al. in living animals (see the Perspective by Ravignani and Herbst).
In Other Journals
Plant Biogeography The terrible history of breadfruit Maddy Seale In 1789, Captain William Bligh’s attempt to export breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the Caribbean was foiled by mutiny. By 1793, breadfruit was successfully introduced to St. Vincent, from where it was distributed across the Caribbean as cheap food for enslaved people. Many island communities exposed to climate change now rely on breadfruit as a staple, so it is important to understand its genetics to enable appropriate management.
The connectome of an insect brain
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Electrophysiological Validation of Monosynaptic Connectivity between Premotor Interneurons and the aCC Motoneuron in the Drosophila Larval CNS
Abstract The Drosophila connectome project aims to map the synaptic connectivity of entire larval and adult fly neural networks, which is essential for understanding nervous system development and function. So far, the project has produced an impressive amount of electron microscopy data that has facilitated reconstructions of specific synapses, including many in the larval locomotor circuit.
Electrophysiological validation of monosynaptic connectivity between premotor interneurons and the aCC motoneuron in the Drosophila larval CNS
Abstract The Drosophila connectome project aims to map the synaptic connectivity of entire larval and adult fly neural networks, which is essential for understanding nervous system development and function. So far, the project has produced an impressive amount of electron microscopy data that has facilitated reconstructions of specific synapses, including many in the larval locomotor circuit.
Bacterial sensing via neuronal Nod2 regulates appetite and body temperature
LATEST NEWS Give a nod to Nod2 in gut–brain cross-talk Nod2 is a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) that helps the immune system recognize fragments of bacterial cell walls called muropeptides. Previous work in mice has shown that Nod2 may also play a role in various metabolic and neurologic pathologies. Gabanyi et al. report that Nod2 is expressed throughout the brain in reporter mice, including in the hypothalamus (see the Perspective by Adamantidis).
A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands
Evolving virulence in HIV Changes in viral load and CD4+ T cell decline are expected signals of HIV evolution. By examining data from well-characterized European cohorts, Wymant et al. report an exceptionally virulent subtype of HIV that has been circulating in the Netherlands for several years (see the Perspective by Wertheim).
A universal coronavirus vaccine
COVID-19 has already produced catastrophic social, economic, and public health consequences, with more than 107 million documented cases and 2.3 million deaths. Although this pandemic is far from over, we now have the tools to end it, with the largest and most rapid global deployment of vaccines under way. That we got this far so quickly is remarkable, but next time we might not be so lucky. More virulent and deadly coronaviruses are waiting in the wings.
Global quieting of high-frequency seismic noise due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures
The great seismic quiet period Noise from trains, airplanes, industrial processes, and other sources is recorded on seismometers worldwide. Disentangling this noise is important for extracting out natural signals, but the noise can also roughly track population movements. Lecocq et al.
Neural Substrates of Drosophila Larval Anemotaxis
Highlights • Drosophila larvae perform negative anemotaxis • To anemotax, larvae modulate the turn rate, size, and direction as in other taxis • Chordotonal and multidendritic class III sensory neurons together mediate anemotaxis • The anemotactic circuitry involves both the nerve cord and the brain Summary Animals use sensory information to move toward more favorable conditions.
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