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Published online 15 October 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.1005
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Flies get fright from false memories
Scientists use light activation to pinpoint where learning happens in fruit flies.
The seemingly complex phenomenon by which fruit flies (Drosophila) learn from bad experiences has been reduced to the actions of a mere 12 neurons, according to research by a team of UK- and US-based scientists. Manipulating this cluster of cells with a laser, the scientists were able to trick the flies into having associative memories of events they had not actually experienced.
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