Worm Brains, Decoded like Never Before, Could Shed Light on Our Own Mind

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August 22, 2023

How do impulses in the mind become actions in the body? One way to decode the link between brain cells and behavior is to study them in simple organisms like the roundworm. Now researchers have used machine learning to develop a detailed brain "atlas," mapping specific nematode neurons to the worm's actions and reactions. It's one of the most in-depth catalogs of these links ever compiled. Read more in this week's top story!

Sophie Bushwick, Associate Editor, Technology

Neuroscience Worm Brains, Decoded like Never Before, Could Shed Light on Our Own Mind One of the most in-depth catalogs of an animal's brain-body connections ever compiled ties neural activity to roundworm behavior By Lauren Leffer

Automobiles Car Thieves Can Hack into Today's Computerized Vehicles To steal cars that rely on remotes and computer networks, thieves are trading their pry bars for laptops and wireless devices By Doug Jacobson,The Conversation US

Defense She Helped Build the Atomic Bomb to Stop the Nazis, But Was Haunted by What It Did to Japan Here's the story of the Lilli Hornig, the only female scientist named in the film Oppenheimer. By Katie Hafner,Mackenzie Tatananni,The Lost Women of Science Initiative

Renewable Energy As Heat Waves Roast Texas, Batteries Keep Power Grid Humming A surge in battery storage is helping Texas beat the heat without additional fossil fuels By Benjamin Storrow,E&E News

Biotech Hearing Aids May Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia As few as 15 percent of people who would benefit from hearing aids use them By Lydia Denworth

Space Exploration Can Russia's Luna-25 Moon Mission Transcend Earthly Politics? In the latest chapter of an ongoing "moon rush," Russia's Luna-25 mission will attempt the nation's first lunar landing in nearly 50 years By Meghan Bartels

Artificial Intelligence Safeguarding AI Is Up to Everyone The use of artificial intelligence is so varied and industry-specific, no one federal agency can manage it alone By The Editors

Computing Young People Tell Us They Need Help Identifying Misinformation We surveyed Canadian youth about science when it comes to making informed decisions. Their responses tell us that we need to work harder to help youth everywhere recognize misinformation By Roseann O'Reilly Runte

Artificial Intelligence How AI Knows Things No One Told It Researchers are still struggling to understand how AI models trained to parrot Internet text can perform advanced tasks such as running code, playing games and trying to break up a marriage By George Musser

Biotech New Soft Electrode Unfolds inside the Skull An electrode inspired by soft robotics could provide less invasive brain-machine interfaces By Simon Makin

QUOTE OF THE DAY "While there have been no major U.S. plane crashes in more than a decade, potentially dangerous incidents are occurring far more frequently than almost anyone realizes--a sign of what many insiders describe as a safety net under mounting stress." Sydney Ember and Emily Steel, The New York Times

FROM THE ARCHIVE Largest Brain Wiring Diagram to Date Is Published The partial fruit fly "connectome" contains approximately 25,000 neurons and 20 million synapses By Diana Kwon | January 2020

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