{
  "id": 6437073,
  "title": "Google mapped a fly's nervous system and developers are using it to play Doom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/google-mapped-a-flys-nervous-system-and-developers-are-using-it-to",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-09T15:24:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechSpot",
    "slug": "techspot",
    "url": "https://www.techspot.com/news/113780-google-mapped-fly-nervous-system-developers-using-play.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google has unveiled a comprehensive 3D map of a fruit fly's nervous system, known as the MaleCNS v1.0 dataset, which includes over 166,000 neurons. This dataset, developed in collaboration with HHMI Janelia Research Campus and other researchers, builds upon previous fruit fly research in genetics and neuroscience. The dataset's release offers a unique opportunity for developers to harness a detailed biological neural network for testing in software applications.\n\nSoftware engineer Alex Wormuth has connected the fly connectome to the classic first-person shooter, Doom. Each game frame stimulates sensory neurons, which then translate neural activity into game controls. Wormuth has made his code open source and set up a live page to showcase the training process of the 166,700-neuron model. Another developer, Jessica Paquette, is using a similar approach with Super Mario 64, where Mario repeatedly crashes into walls, indicating the project is in its early stages.\n\nThe experiments aim to determine if the reconstructed neural system can learn to respond to game environments. While the fly is not directly interacting with the games, the digital reconstruction of the biological nervous system is being fed game data and using the resulting neural activity to trigger in-game controls. This innovative use of the connectome showcases the potential of large-scale biological datasets to serve as testbeds for software developers, even if the results are not yet conclusive.",
  "summary": "The MaleCNS v1.0 dataset, announced by Google Research late last week, includes more than 166,000 neurons from an adult male fruit fly. Google worked with HHMI Janelia Research Campus and other researchers on the project, using AI to turn millions of 2D images into 3D reconstructions of neural structures. Read Entire Article",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}