How flies compute with vectors

Wednesday 23 Oct 2024, 15:30 → 16:30 US/Central

Wilson Hall, 1 West (WH1W)

Code of conduct: The Wine and Cheese is a scientific seminar and thus questions and discussion are welcome. The goal of discussion is to enhance the quality and understanding of the science for the whole community. Out of consideration for all, even when questions are not straightforward, we will insist that they be asked and answered with respect and civility. We value voices of all backgrounds, accents, pitches and degrees of softness, both among our speakers and in the audience. Scientific claims are judged by their content and rigor, and not by the demeanor of their proponent

15:30 → 16:30 How flies compute with vectors

To navigate through the world, insects perform many of the vector computations that are taught in introductory physics classes. They do this using methods that are rigorous but would not be recognized by students in these classes. Recent advances in the techniques used to study the brains of fruit flies have revealed what these methods are. I will describe how flies construct, add, rotate, multiply and integrate vectors, and how they use these calculations to navigator to goals such as the sources of odor plumes.

Speaker: Larry Abbott (Columbia University)