Understanding how fruit flies detect moving odors
Official title: Characterizing odor motion detection in flies
Funded at Yale University · NIH-10717167 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how fruit flies find their way to smells in the air by noticing how those smells move, which could help us learn more about how their brains work when it comes to following scents, similar to how we see moving objects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $1,887,897 |
| NIH project number | 1RF1NS132840-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10717167 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for benefiting from this research include scientists and researchers in the fields of neurobiology, sensory processing, and robotics.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with conditions unrelated to sensory processing or those not involved in scientific research may not receive direct benefits from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how fruit flies navigate towards airborne odors by detecting their motion. By using advanced techniques like optogenetics, the study aims to separate odor signals from wind influences, allowing researchers to understand how flies use temporal correlations between their two antennae to sense odor movement. The findings could reveal new insights into the neural circuits involved in olfactory navigation and how these processes compare to visual motion detection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could enhance our understanding of sensory processing in animals, potentially leading to advancements in artificial sensory systems or pest control strategies.
How similar studies have gone: While the specific approach of detecting odor motion in fruit flies is novel, similar studies in sensory processing have shown promising results in understanding animal navigation.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Emonet, Thierry — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Emonet, Thierry
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Aging Well with HIV: Alcohol, Risk Reduction, and Education Center (AWAR3E)
A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
-
Community Health Worker–Led Hypertension Prevention and Control in Nepal
A community health worker–driven approach in Nepal aims to prevent and control high blood pressure among adults by bringing education and care directly to communities and homes.
-
Community health worker-led hypertension prevention and control in Nepal
A community health worker–led program in Nepal aims to help adults prevent and better control high blood pressure through home visits, education, and ongoing support.
-
Adapting a mobile health tool to boost HIV outcomes for older adults with HIV in Ukraine
A mobile health platform called PositiveLinks would be adapted for older adults with HIV in Ukraine to help them stay engaged in care and improve treatment success.
-
Behavioral and neural links between spoken language sounds and written words in young children
This grant studies how young children learn from listening and reading to improve literacy, by looking at how sound patterns transfer to written language.
-
Understanding how autoimmunity causes myasthenia gravis
This project looks at why the immune system attacks the nerve-muscle connection in myasthenia gravis and how different patient groups are affected.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.