Скачать или смотреть 2026 Lecture Series - How Tiny Insects are Driving Big Discoveries in Brain Science

College of Science 2026 Lecture Series
Today's Science, Tomorrow's World
University of Arizona

From Fruit Flies to Future Cures: How Tiny Insects are Driving Big Discoveries in Brain Science

Live from Centennial Hall on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 7:00pm MST with Dr. Martha Bhattacharya

Insects outnumber humans by billions and predated us on earth. While we diverged early in the evolutionary tree, we still share a vast majority of our genetic sequences, making studies of the insect nervous system insightful for understanding the building blocks of learning, memory, motion, aggression, and development of complex organs like the brain.

In this talk, Dr. Martha Bhattacharya will explain how scientists use fruit flies to uncover fundamental tenets of how the brain responds to injury, disease, and stress. In the process, she will describe how her work in flies has identified new genetic pathways involved in dermatitis, epilepsy, and cancer. In the future, insect studies could also provide information on how to survive in a warming world.

Learn more at science.arizona.edu/lecture