Science Cafe Cleveland—"Tiny Brains at High Speed: The Neuroscience of Fly Flight"

The next Science Cafe Cleveland will feature Jessica Fox, assistant professor of biology, whose research lab studies how flies use their sensory systems to fly. The event will take place Monday, April 9, at Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave). Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Limited menu options will be available for purchase.

About the lecture

Animal brains take in information from the environment, process it, and use it to make decisions in very short amounts of time. Flies, which move much faster than humans and fly in three dimensions, use their hindwings to sense their body's rotation. They use this information to decide how to steer their wings as they flap them 200 times per second. Fox’s research group carefully records the flies' behavior while providing different sensory input, and also the activity of neurons in their brains. Their work shows how small groups of nerve cells can act together to generate flight, and provides ideas on new ways to pilot drones. This event is sponsored by the CWRU chapter of Sigma Xi, WCPN ideastream and the Music Box Supper Club. See more information.