Science & Breakthroughs

Just like a fruit fly, a new algorithm never forgets old scents

Fruit flies aren't exactly famous for their brainpower; you've probably drowned more than one in a wine glass left too long on the patio table. And yet, working with roughly 140,000 neurons - a brain smaller than a poppy seed - Drosophila can sort through a huge range of smells in a fraction of a second, and then retain the memory of that scent for a long time. In this, they do much better than current "electronic noses." Even the most advanced ones on the market tend to be expensive, painfully