Fight Club for Flies: Kenta Asahina at TEDxMoorparkCollege

Recorded April 18, 2014

Do you believe a dog or a cat can become "angry"? How about a fly? What separates an insect's "anger" from a human's? Insects
frequently fight in nature, but we can never ask them if they are angry. In recent years, researchers have started to investigate what happens to the insect brain during a fight. Come join scientist and researcher Kenta Asahina for an enlightening discussion of the neural mechanisms that control a fly's aggression, and a look into what fruit flies can teach humans about what may be happening in our minds when we get angry?

Kenta Asahina received his Ph.D. degree from the Rockefeller University in 2008 for studies on the neural processing mechanism of olfactory stimuli. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at California Institute of Technology. His research focus is on the molecular and neural mechanisms controlling innate behaviors of animals, mainly aggressive behaviors. The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster has been the model organism for his research.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)