• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, August 29, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Going the distance: Brain cells for 3D vision discovered

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 28, 2019
in Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Neurons in insect brains that compute 3D distance and direction found

IMAGE

Credit: Newcastle University, UK

In stunning images captured under the microscope for the first time, the neurons were found in praying mantises. The work is published in Nature Communications today.

In a specially-designed insect cinema, the mantises were fitted with 3D glasses and shown 3D movies of simulated bugs while their brain activity was monitored. When the image of the bug came into striking range for a predatory attack, scientist Dr Ronny Rosner was able to record the activity of individual neurons.

Dr Rosner, Research Associate in the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, is lead author of the paper. He said: “This helps us answer how insects achieve surprisingly complex behaviour with such tiny brains and understanding this can help us develop simpler algorithms to develop better robot and machine vision.”

The “3D neurons”

Praying mantises use 3D perception, scientifically known as stereopsis, for hunting. By using the disparity between the two retinas they are able to compute distances and trigger a strike of their forelegs when prey is within reach.
The neurons recorded were stained, revealing their shape which allowed the team to identify four classes of neuron likely to be involved in mantis stereopsis.

The images captured using a powerful microscope show the dendritic tree of a nerve cell – where the nerve cell receives inputs from the rest of the brain – believed to enable this behaviour.

Dr Rosner explains: “Despite their tiny size, mantis brains contain a surprising number of neurons which seem specialised for 3D vision. This suggests that mantis depth perception is more complex than we thought. And while these neurons compute distance, we still don’t know how exactly.

“Even so, as theirs are so much smaller than our own brains, we hope mantises can help us develop simpler algorithms for machine vision.”

The wider research programme which is funded by the Leverhulme Trust, is led by Professor Jenny Read, professor of Vision Science at Newcastle University. She says: “In some ways, the properties in the mantises are similar to what we see in the visual cortex of primates. When we see two very different species have independently evolved similar solutions like this, we know this must be a really good way of solving 3D vision.

“But we’ve also found some feedback loops within the 3D vision circuit which haven’t previously been reported in vertebrates. Our 3D vision may well include similar feedback loops, but they are much easier to identify in a less complex insect brain and this provides us with new avenues to explore.”

It’s the first time that anyone has identified specific neuron types in the brain of an invertebrate which are tuned to locations in 3D space.

The Newcastle team intend to further develop their research to better understand the computation of the relatively simple brain of the praying mantis with the aim of developing simpler algorithms for machine and robot vision.

###

Reference: A neuronal correlate of insect stereopsis. Ronny Rosner, Joss von Hadeln, Ghaith Tarawneh, Jenny C.A. Read. Nature Communications. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10721-z

Media Contact
Karen Bidewell
[email protected]

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10721-z

Tags: BioinformaticsBiologyBiotechnologyCell BiologyEntomologyPhysiologyRobotry/Artificial IntelligenceTheory/Design
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Neonatal Line’s Role in Live Births Debated

August 29, 2025

Ethical and Legal Challenges in DCD Innovations

August 29, 2025

Immune Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency in Children

August 29, 2025

Insights on Glycemic Control in Sri Lankan Diabetes Patients

August 29, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    150 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 38
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    142 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    82 shares
    Share 33 Tweet 21

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Neonatal Line’s Role in Live Births Debated

Ethical and Legal Challenges in DCD Innovations

Immune Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency in Children

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.