Scientists Use AI To Create 'Cell Atlas' Of Brain And Uncover Inner Workings Of The Aging Process

Researchers might be one step closer to keeping you looking younger for longer thanks to a new study which looks at the gene expression of each individual brain cell during the aging process. Using a fruit fly as the first test subject, the research, which was lead by a scientist called Professor Stein Aerts from the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, saw the team create a "cell atlas" of the brain, which provided insights into the workings of the brain as it ages. The study was published in the scientific journal Cell, and has since been touted as an important first step in the development of techniques that can help us gain a better understanding of human disease development. The scientists used a fruit fly because the insect's brain consists of some 100,000 different cells, and while that makes it much smaller than that of a person's, it contains hundreds of different types of neurons and other cells forming a complex network, much like the human brain. Kristofer Davie, one of the many researchers involved in the effort, explained that it was no easy task mapping the cells on such a small organism as it required zooming in on each and every individual cell.