High-speed, 3-D microscope captures stunning videos of fruit fly nerve cells in action

Columbia engineers and neuroscientists have joined forces to create 3-D videos of individual nerve cells moving, stretching and switching on inside fruit fly larvae as they move. Data gleaned from these videos reveals how nerve cells called proprioceptive neurons work together to help the body sense where it is in space. To accomplish this feat, the researchers harnessed SCAPE, a cutting-edge microscope developed at Columbia that images neurons at lightning-fast speeds.