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Oct 19, 2024

Brain Expansion: How Heliconius Butterflies Outsmart Their Peers

Posted by in categories: biological, food, neuroscience

Research on Heliconius butterflies illustrates how variations in brain circuits are aligned with their unique foraging behaviors, enhancing their spatial and visual memory.

A tropical butterfly species with uniquely expanded brain structures shows a fascinating mosaic pattern of neural expansion linked to a key cognitive innovation.

The study, published today (October 18) in Current Biology, explores the neural basis of behavioral innovation in Heliconius butterflies, the only genus known to feed on both nectar and pollen. As part of this behavior, these butterflies exhibit an impressive ability to learn and remember the locations of their food sources—abilities tied to the expansion of a brain region called the mushroom bodies, which play a crucial role in learning and memory.

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