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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar

@mpinb.mpg.de
670 followers 247 following 44 posts

Interdisciplinary #BasicResearch on how the collective activity of #neurons gives rise to the plethora of #animalbehavior. Imprint: mpinb.mpg.de/im

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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
James Lightfoot @jameslightfoot.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
How does evolution turn a harmless bacterial feeder into an active predator? Our new study led by @marianneroca.bsky.social and published in @pnas.org explores how sensory systems were rewired to enable prey detection and predatory behaviour in nematodes. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🧵below!
pnas.org
Evolution of sensory systems underlies the emergence of predatory feeding behaviors in nematodes | PNAS
Understanding how animal behavior evolves remains a major challenge, with few studies linking genetic changes to differences in neural function and...
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 28/01/2026
Congratulations to @marianneroca.bsky.social on this great paper 🎉 The study shows how P.pacificus detects prey by integrating mechanical&chemical cues in the same sensory neurons, revealing how evolution rewired systems originally used for avoidance to enable hunting. mpinb.mpg.de/en/press/pre...
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 28/01/2026
Neurobiologie zum Anfassen 🧠 Austausch, Experimente & Karrierewege beim Besuch von #juFORUM Neurowissenschaften bei uns am Institut. Mehr davon bitte! :-D
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 21/01/2026
Great thread by @jameslightfoot.bsky.social breaking down the key ideas behind our new Nature paper step by step. Highly recommended if you want the full story behind how predatory behavior evolved in these worms.
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 21/01/2026
How do new behaviors evolve? A new Nature study shows how predatory aggression can emerge through changes in neuromodulatory circuits – without adding new neurons. We’ve created a short animated explainer video to walk through the key ideas. youtu.be/wNhjKDCPs_8?...
youtu.be
How new behaviors evolve: from peaceful worm to predator
YouTube video by MPINB
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
leoboeger.bsky.social @leoboeger.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Our latest paper is out in Nature 🥳 We investigated the underlying neuromodulatory regulation of aggressive behavior in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus 🪱🧠🔬 And we show that novel behaviors can evolve through changes of single neuron function by switches in neuromodulator-receptor expression. 👇
nature.com
Predatory aggression evolved through adaptations to noradrenergic circuits - Nature
Noradrenergic circuits support and balance aggressive behavioural states in predatory nematodes, distinguish predatory from non-predatory nematode species and are associated with the evolution of comp...
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
James Lightfoot @jameslightfoot.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Why do some worms graze on bacteria while others hunt and kill? Our study, published today in Nature, reveals how predatory aggression evolved in nematodes. Led by @gunizgozeeren.bsky.social and @leoboeger.bsky.social across the @jameslightfoot.bsky.social and @monikakscholz.bsky.social labs.
nature.com
Predatory aggression evolved through adaptations to noradrenergic circuits - Nature
Noradrenergic circuits support and balance aggressive behavioural states in predatory nematodes, distinguish predatory from non-predatory nematode species and are associated with the evolution of comp...
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
DZNE research center @dzne.science · 20/10/2025
Registration open: eveeno.com/applicationb... Under the theme “From Genes to Circuits and Behavior”, top neuroscientists - incl. Cori Bargmann, @edvardmoser.bsky.social, Rosa Paolicelli, Maude Baldwin & Zachary Knight - will meet at to explore how neural circuits drive behavior.
BonnBrain Poster for 2026
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 08/10/2025
bonnbrain.de Follow for updates: @bonnbrainconf.bsky.social #BonnBrain #Neuroscience #BrainConference #AcademicEvents
bonnbrain.de
Bonn Brain Conference
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 08/10/2025
💡 Poster sessions & short talks 💡 Student-organized early-career symposium 💡 Interdisciplinary program across all career stages Participation is limited and by application. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this international neuroscience community.
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 08/10/2025
💡 Join the 8th Bonn Brain Conference March 23–25, 2026 | DZNE Bonn, Germany Explore the latest in brain states, neural circuits, and behavior — with keynote talks by leading neuroscientists including Cori Bargmann and Edvard Moser @edvardmoser.bsky.social
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
It is a true pleasure to take part at this year’s Konstanz school on collective behavior and talk about our theoretical framework of computing with transients. @mpinb.mpg.de
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 28/07/2025
Exciting news! @kerrlab.bsky.social is part of a new #MaxPlanckCenter with @mpi-mr.bsky.social and the Institute for Basic Science at Yonsei University in Seoul. We aim to visualize and influence cellular processes deep in human tissue — in a targeted way, without causing damage. Stay tuned ! 🌟
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Excited to be part of “Unifying theories in high-dimensional biophyics” symposium @ICTS in Bangalore. Looking forward to learn about novel theoretical descriptions from molecular to behavior of ecologies! @mpinb.mpg.de
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
Read more in our news article: mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-...
mpinb.mpg.de
New research unit on GPCR signaling in organ function and… - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
Led by @simwieg.bsky.social from @uniheidelberg.bsky.social, DynOrg is one of 7 new DFG Research Units, supported for up to 8 years. We're thrilled to be on board! 🔬🇩🇪 #GPCR #Neuroscience #DynOrg #DFG #WormLab
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
Using optogenetics, high-res in vivo imaging & multi-omics, we’ll track how GPCR signals guide foraging & feeding. Understanding how the two nervous systems in C. elegans coordinate foraging and food intake will shed light on core principles of neuromodulatory control. #PharaGlow
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
@monikakscholz.bsky.social lab and Alexander Gottschalk’s team @goetheuni.bsky.social are zooming in on C. elegans. With just 302 neurons, this tiny worm helps us study how two nervous systems — somatic & enteric — coordinate via neuromodulators like dopamine & serotonin. 🪱🔬
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
GPCRs are tiny molecular switches that let animals respond instantly to danger, hunger, or stress. Just a few messengers (like dopamine or adrenaline) activate diverse pathways that shape behavior and physiology.
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 23/07/2025
🚀 Big news from our @monikakscholz.bsky.social lab! We’re part of DynOrg, a new @dfg.de-funded Research Unit exploring how #GPCR signaling coordinates organ function & animal behavior — from heartbeat to foraging. 🧠💓 #FOR #neurotransmitters
Ilustration for FOR5807 showing sketches of c. elegans and its neuronal networks and molecular form of serotonin and dopamin
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Max Planck Neuroscience @mpneuro.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Despite the trillions of synapses in the brain, there is sparse connectivity between neurons. This may be a feature, not a flaw, per new research at @mpinb.mpg.de‬. A study finds that “sparse connectivity” of neurons may contribute to more efficient info-processing in the brain: bit.ly/4kO1TMY
Image of neural connections. Text reads: The brain’s sparse connectivity is not a limitation it’s an optimization!
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
We had a privilege to have Chittaranjan Hens from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, India, visiting for a day and telling us about the origins of instability in dynamical systems on undirected networks! @mpinb.mpg.de
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 08/07/2025
Paper alert! Check out the new publication by our Cellular Computations and Learning Lab! 👉 journals.aps.org/pre/abstract...
journals.aps.org
Criticality governs response dynamics and entrainment of periodically forced ghost cycles
Many natural and engineered systems display oscillations that are characterized by multiple timescales. Typically, such systems are described as slow-fast systems, where the slow dynamics result from ...
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
International Society for Neuroethology @neuroethology.org · 01/07/2025
In our evening`s session, Monika Scholz from the @mpinb.mpg.de talks about her research on the foraging behavior of a predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus and compares the underlying neuronal mechanisms with the ones of C. elegans. @monikakscholz.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Predatory aggression evolved through adaptations to noradrenergic circuits
Behaviors are adaptive traits evolving through natural selection. Crucially, the genetic, molecular, and neural modifications that shape behavioral innovations are poorly understood. Here, we identify...
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
We are at #DDays2025 ! Join us at our 3!! talks on multistability and metastability, today, on Thursday and Friday! @mpinb.mpg.de
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 12/06/2025
#podcast #neuropod #scicom #neuroscience
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 12/06/2025
🚀 New Neurovoyagers episode just dropped! It's been such a great time chatting with ‪@monikakscholz.bsky.social about worms, neural bottlenecks, open science, and the joy of building stuff that works 🧠🔧 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/1r2a...
open.spotify.com
Brains in Miniature: Evolution, Foraging, and Open Science with Monika Scholz
Neurovoyagers: Exploring the Minds Behind Neuroscience · Episode
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 11/06/2025
Cells use more than signal strength to decide their fate—they "listen" to the tempo of signaling. Check out this work by our Cellular Computations and Learning Lab introducing signaling homeorhesis, a concept where dynamic signal patterns guide cell decisions. #CellSignaling #cellfate
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 03/06/2025
👉 or dive into the publication in PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Multiple cortical systems influence a single vibrissa muscle | PNAS
What is the neural substrate that enables the cerebral cortex to control a single mystacial vibrissa and orchestrate its movement? To answer this q...
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 03/06/2025
(2/3) 👉 Read more in our news article: mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-...
mpinb.mpg.de
Motor control from non-motor brain areas - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 03/06/2025
(1/3) Paper alert! 🧠 What does it take a 🐀 to move a single whisker? More than we expected! Research from our In Silico Brain Sciences Lab and University of Pittsburgh (Pitt Med) shows: ✅ a diverse set of brain areas is involved ✅ movements even originate from areas linked to sensing and cognition.
Schematic drawing of a rat with an inset microscopy image showing neurons involved in whisker motor control
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
iBehave @ibehave.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
New #iBOTS Workshop "Intro Neural Spike Analysis in Python" 📅June 11-13 Dr. Ole Bialas Open to All @unibonn.bsky.social @uniklinikkoeln.bsky.social @unicologne.bsky.social @mpinb.mpg.de @fz-juelich.de Learn how to process & analyze neural spiking data! Register: uni-bonn.zoom-x.de/meeting/regi...
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 21/04/2025
Read our news article from our research group Neural Circuits mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-... Or the full paper 👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Neuroethology #Sleep #Glia #WatchingAFlysBrain
nature.com
Dynamics of glia and neurons regulate homeostatic rest, sleep and feeding behavior in Drosophila - Nature Neuroscience
Animals alternate between active periods and periods of rest or sleep. This study in fruit flies points to brain metabolism as a cause for this and shows that a network of glial cells interacting with...
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 21/04/2025
🧠💤 Glia Regulate Sleep Through Brain Metabolism! A new study in Drosophila shows that glial cells monitor brain CO₂ and pH levels to regulate rest and sleep – revealing a key link between metabolism and sleep need. Activating glia can even induce rest in flies. 🪰🛌 (1/2) @natneuro.nature.com
Schematic of the fly's behavior and corresponding glia cell activity.
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
It is a true honor and privilege to host Vijay Balasubramanian @upenn.edu , a distinguished scholar and a profound intellectual, at our Neuroscience seminar series today. We are enjoying a day of thought-provoking conversations that inspire! @mpinb.mpg.de
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 15/04/2025
🧠 Interested in a postdoc in neuroscience? Our Department of Computational Neuroethology is hiring for two exciting projects: 🔬 Retinal circuitry evolution 🐟 Mechanistic cognition in Danionella cerebrum mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-... 📅 Apply by May 13 via the Max Planck #PostdocProgram #Neuroethology
mpinb.mpg.de
Research Focus - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 08/04/2025
We had a great time at #PostdocDay2025! Lots of inspiring chats at our booth and a full room during our talk on the role of networking, given by @anjaguenther.bsky.social 🎤🙌. Big thanks to @unibonn.bsky.social & @bora-network.bsky.social. Looking forward to next time! #ResearchCareers #Networking
Anja Günther from MPINB during her talk at BORA Postdoc Day 25
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 07/04/2025
👩‍🔧👩‍🔬 From biology to engineering, toolmaking & lab tech – we opened our labs for #GirlsDay on April 3! Huge thanks to our curious participants and to our helpers for sparking excitement in STEM! 💡🔬✨ Here’s to the next generation of female scientists! 💡🔬✨ #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInScience #FutureScientists
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/04/2025
🧠 Our group leader Aneta Koseska@koseskalab.bsky.social is giving an invited talk today at the Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Neural Networks symposium at the Fields Institute, Toronto 🇨🇦. Enjoy! 🔍 Curious to learn more about the Koseska Lab and our research? Dive in here 👉 mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-...
mpinb.mpg.de
Research Focus - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 26/03/2025
Hey Göttingen Meeting attendees! Don’t miss the inspiring talks from our group leaders and faculty members of our IMPRS for Brain and Behavior graduate program. Enjoy! 🧠✨
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 18/03/2025
For those who want to dive deeper into the science behind this, check out our full study in Frontiers in Neural Circuits: 📑 Original paper frontiersin.org/journals/neu... #AI #Neuroscience #MachineLearning #BrainInspiredAI #corticalnetworks (3/3)
mpinb.mpg.de
Less is more: Why sparse brain connections make learning… - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 18/03/2025
AI is often built with dense connections, assuming this improves performance. But our study suggests that too many connections can actually slow down learning in certain types of networks. ⚡🐢 Read more in our institute’s news post: 📖 mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-... (2/3)
mpinb.mpg.de
Less is more: Why sparse brain connections make learning… - MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR NEUROBIOLOGY OF BEHAVIOR — CAESAR
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 18/03/2025
🚀 Paper Alert! 🚀 More connections = better learning? Not so fast! 🤯 Our latest research from the In Silico Brain Sciences Lab challenges this assumption: What if the brain’s sparse connectivity is actually an optimization? 🧠✨ (1/3)
AI Image of neurons, text: "the brain's sparse connectivity is not a limitation, it's an optimization"
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koseskalab.bsky.social @koseskalab.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Happy to welcome Kalel Rossi, a new postdoc in the group, Prayas Chakrabarty, Master student, and Abbie Chen, student assistant! #CellularComputationsAndLearning @mpinb.mpg.de
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Reposted by Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar
James Lightfoot @jameslightfoot.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Have you ever wondered what is on the surface of a #nematode like #Celegans? …it turns out they are surprisingly greasy little critters and covered in many different lipids. To read more about this, check out the excellent paper from the Chauhan lab which we were very happy to be a small part of.
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/02/2025
(3/3) These #eyemovements enable the world to remain momentarily non-blurry when chasing erratically moving prey. Read more in the original publication in Current Biology doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... #animalvision #predatorvision #neuroethology #freelymoving #eyetracking
doi.org
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/02/2025
(2/3)Together with colleagues from @mpfneuro.bsky.social, researchers from our @kerrlab.bsky.social reconstructed what predatory mammals see when they chase prey. They discovered that #saccades align the retina to world motion and not the actual thing they are chasing.
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/02/2025
(1/3) Paper out in Current Biology!👏 How do predators use their vision to both navigate through the terrain whilst tracking prey running for its life? Read more about it here: mpinb.mpg.de/en/research-... @kerrlab.bsky.social @mpfneuro.bsky.social Picture by Charles G. Summers, Jr.
Picture of a ferret running in the snow
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/02/2025
What do you think about the neural control of flight in insects? Let’s discuss! #Neuroscience #Drosophila #FlightControl #BrainResearch #Neuroethology
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Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar @mpinb.mpg.de · 04/02/2025
Why Does This Matter? Understanding how even tiny brains make fast decisions helps us explore fundamental neural principles. These findings could inform not only insect neurobiology but also robotics and AI-based movement control.
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