Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.
What can a fruit fly's brain tell us about our own?
Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
The research detailed more than 50 million connections between more than 139,000 neurons - brain nerve cells - in the insect, a species whose scientific name is Drosophila melanogaster and is often used in neurobiological studies. The research sought to decipher how brains are wired and the signals underlying healthy brain functions. It also could pave the way for mapping the brains of other species.
"You might be asking why we should care about the brain of a fruit fly. My simple answer is that if we can truly understand how any brain functions, it's bound to tell us something about all brains," said Princeton University professor of neuroscience and computer science Sebastian Seung, one of the co-leaders of the work published in a series of studies in the journal Nature.
While some people may be more interested in swatting flies than studying them, some of the researchers found esthetic satisfaction peering at the fruit fly brain, less than 0.04 inches (1 mm) wide.
"It's beautiful," said University of Cambridge neuroscientist and research co-leader Gregory Jefferis.
The map devised by the researchers provFided a wiring diagram, known as a connectome, for the brain of an adult fruit fly. Similar research previously was conducted with simpler organisms, such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the fruit fly's larval stage. The adult fruit fly presented more complicated behaviors to study through its brain wiring.
"One of the major questions we're addressing is how the wiring in the brain, its neurons and connections, can give rise to animal behavior," said Princeton neuroscientist Mala Murthy, another of the co-leaders of the research.
"And flies are an important model system for neurosciences. Their brains solve many of the same problems we do... They're capable of sophisticated behaviors like the execution of walking and flying, learning and memory behaviors, navigation, feeding and even social interactions, which is a behavior that we studied in my lab at Princeton," Murthy added.
One of the studies analyzed brain circuits underlying walking and discovered how flies halt. Another analyzed the fly's taste network and grooming circuits behind behavior such as when it uses a leg to remove dirt from its antennae. Another looked at the visual system including how the fly's eyes process motion and color information. Still another one analyzed connectivity through the brain, discovering a large assemblage of "hub neurons" that may speed up information flow.
The researchers fashioned a map tracking the organization of the hemispheres and behavioral circuits inside the fly's brain. They also identified the full set of cell classes in its brain, pinpointing different varieties of neurons and chemical connections - synapses - between these nerve cells, and looked at the types of chemicals secreted by the neurons.
The work was conducted by a large international collaboration of scientists known as the FlyWire Consortium.
(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man charged after attempting to force his way into the House of Commons: police
On the tenth anniversary of the shooting on Parliament Hill, a man was arrested and charged with trespassing as he attempted to push past security guards into the House of Commons.
'We all got through it': Canadian family stuck in Cuba recalls ordeal amid massive blackout
Ellen Francis says she and her family were having a great time at one of Cuba's famously stunning beaches and exploring the popular tourist town of Varadero when the situation turned into something like a scary movie.
Former Conservative leader says Trudeau 'should move on' amid efforts to oust him
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'should move on,' as he faces growing inner-caucus turmoil.
At least seven large-scale butter thefts have been reported in Guelph, Ont. over a 10-month period, including two hauls in just the last month.
Are Listeria recalls on the rise or are we just hearing more about them?
Consumers in Canada are being told to check their freezers after hundreds of frozen waffle products were recalled for fears of a possible Listeria contamination. The voluntary recall was just the latest in a string of listeria-related recalls in North America.
One dead in multistate E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, CDC says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday regarding an E. coli outbreak that it says is linked with McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.
PM Trudeau doesn't think his leadership is in danger, as ministers voice confidence in him a day before key Liberal meeting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't think his leadership is in danger, one day before a highly anticipated Liberal caucus meeting where his future at the helm of the Liberal party is expected to be up for discussion.
Local Spotlight
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥