Animal behavior
Improvising to study brains in the wild: Q&A with Nacho Sanguinetti-Scheck
A joke at a neuroscience summer program nearly a decade ago ignited a lifelong research interest for this Uruguayan scientist—one that plays on his comedic strengths.
![Neuroscientist Nacho Sanguinetti deadpanning the camera as he sits at his desk with a photo cutout of an agouti on his computer.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sanguinetti-computer-1200-1024x692.webp)
Improvising to study brains in the wild: Q&A with Nacho Sanguinetti-Scheck
A joke at a neuroscience summer program nearly a decade ago ignited a lifelong research interest for this Uruguayan scientist—one that plays on his comedic strengths.
Mind control in zombie flies: Q&A with Carolyn Elya
A parasitic fungus compels its insect host to behave in strange ways by hijacking secretory neurons and circadian pathways.
![Close-up image of a dead fly with visible growths protruding from its abdomen due to Entomophthora fungus infection.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1200-zombie-fly-qa-1024x683.webp)
Mind control in zombie flies: Q&A with Carolyn Elya
A parasitic fungus compels its insect host to behave in strange ways by hijacking secretory neurons and circadian pathways.
Dancing in the dark: Honeybees use antennae to decode nestmates’ waggles
The insects align their antennae with their body’s angle to a dancer—information that vector-processing circuitry in the brain deciphers into a flight path, a new study suggests.
Dancing in the dark: Honeybees use antennae to decode nestmates’ waggles
The insects align their antennae with their body’s angle to a dancer—information that vector-processing circuitry in the brain deciphers into a flight path, a new study suggests.
Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab
Technological advancements have made it possible to study animals in more natural settings, but researchers are debating what that really means and whether natural is always better.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1200_horizontal-1024x683.png)
Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab
Technological advancements have made it possible to study animals in more natural settings, but researchers are debating what that really means and whether natural is always better.
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.