Neural development and brain circuit evolution converged in birds and mammals

Learn about OpenScope project experimental designs from 2024 as we prepare to release the collected data sets to the community.

PFC neural responses during contextual decision-making are consistent with both recurrent and input-driven flexible computations.

Nature - Opponent control of reinforcement by striatal dopamine and serotonin

Developing an animal model of human brain stimulation therapy reveals that striatal DBS enhances the brain’s ability to process conflicting evidence.

Twenty years after the first publication that used the term microplastic, we review current understanding, refine definitions, and consider future prospects. Microplastics arise from multiple sources,...

Engineering Turing patterns has been one of the most challenging problems in synthetic biology because even tiny changes in the reaction parameters destroy patterning. Here, the authors construct a more robust three-node genetic circuit in E. coli to generate different kinds of reproducible spot and stripe patterns.

Organisms are complex assemblages of cells, cells that produce light, shoot harpoons, and secrete glue. Therefore, identifying the mechanisms that generate novelty at the level of the individual cell is essential for understanding how multicellular life evolves. For decades, the field of evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) has been developing a framework for connecting genetic variation that arises during embryonic development to the emergence of diverse adult forms. With increasing access to new single cell ‘omics technologies and an array of techniques for manipulating gene expression, we can now extend these inquiries inward to the level of the individual cell. In this opinion, I argue that applying an Evo-Devo framework to single cells makes it possible to explore the natural history of cells, where this was once only possible at the organismal level.

Why recent headlines aren't as convincing as they might seem.

Pleiotropy (a single mutation altering many traits) has long been seen as hindering adaptation. A new study in PLOS Biology offers a striking counterexample, suggesting that regulatory networks may ev...