Digital Fly Lab · independent catalogue
Fruit fly brain simulation projects: what you can try, what is real, and how to build your own
A fruit fly brain now fits in a computer. Scientists mapped the wiring of every neuron in an adult fly brain (the connectome ), and people quickly started to run it in games, browser demos and robots. This catalogue lists those projects, checks their links and dates, and says plainly which parts come from the real fly and which parts are ordinary code.
Short answer
People have built games, browser demos, desktop pets, art, brain engines and research tests on top of real fly connectomes: mostly the FlyWire brain (2024) and the MaleCNS brain and nerve cord (2026). We checked 116 of them. You can open 41 in a browser or a free notebook today, without installing anything, and in our own browser checks 8 of 11 demos ran on a computer without a GPU.
Most viral demos really do run a simulated fly brain, but a person chose which neurons see the game and which neurons press the buttons , and in several demos scripts or trained parts make most of the movement. No fly has been "uploaded", and several viral claims publish no code at all, among them Pokémon on a Raspberry Pi and this week's most-viewed, a fly said to play Gorilla Tag. Is it a brain or just a map? It is a map of one fly's wiring, run with a simple neuron model, and in our own test the map's wiring made a simulated fly turn away from a looming shadow , where a scrambled map did not, and scrambled maps turned up to the same activity still produced no turn command (this week ; one model, small n, our own mapping). Does the real wiring help in general? Sometimes : across 41 control studies it beat scrambled wiring in 15 of the 33 that test it, mostly reflex, sensory and steering circuits, and tied or lost in trained, reservoir and machine-learning tasks. Our own pre-registered tests show how much the answer depends on how the wiring is scrambled. Even where it helps, a brainless baseline often matches the fly: in Doom a brainless autopilot plays about as well as the full fly brain (the doom-fly-control by gabrycina), and in our own test a simulated fly body walked as far with no brain as with the real one.
To build your own, start with the published whole-brain model on a CPU: in our test on 2 CPUs (Linux, 28 minutes), sugar neurons drove the feeding motor neuron to 85.2 Hz, and shuffled wiring dropped it to 0 Hz. We re-tested the beginner path on 5 Oct 2026 (6 of 6 tests, 82.0 Hz, bit-exact with our earlier runs), The model needs two data files, 104.1 MB (what you download ), and the guide has two tested deeper steps: connecting the brain to a walking fly body and adding a sense: a looming shadow .
This week · 6 Oct 2026
Where in the wiring is the turn?
Our own test · pre-registered before the first trial · brain only · one model, small n · not a real fly
We turned the scrambled maps up until they were as busy as the real one. They still did not produce the turn: the wiring, not the amount of activity, makes it.
6 of 6 real-map trials sent a turn command (23–44 Hz) 0 of 3 scrambled maps as busy as the real one did 0.98× the real map's activity, in the turned-up scrambles
Last week's looming test showed the real fly brain map turning a simulated fly away from a shadow, where a scrambled map did not, but the scrambled brains were also much quieter. So we turned them up until they were as busy as the real one, at the level of the brain model: still no turn command. Scrambling only the inside of the map and silencing the escape neuron tell where the turn runs. Read the caveats inside the chart : brain only, no new body runs yet, 3 turned-up scrambles. Full result, what it shows and what it does not
Where in the wiring is the turn? Scrambled maps as busy as the real one gave no turn command in 3 of 3 trials Brain-only trials of 5 and 6 Oct 2026 (Shiu et al. model on FlyWire v783, every LC4 and LPLC2 neuron of one eye at 80 Hz for 1 s). One mark per trial; circles: shadow on the left eye, squares: right eye. Three measures per trial: how busy the brain is outside the stimulated neurons (as a multiple of the real map), the turn command (far-side minus near-side DNa02, Hz) and the escape signal (giant fibre mean, Hz). Real map, 6 trials: activity 1.0 ×, turn command 23–44 Hz, escape 111.5–120.5 Hz. Scrambled map (degree-preserving), 6 trials over 3 shuffles: activity 0.07 ×, every readout 0 Hz. Scrambled and turned up until as busy as the real map, 3 matched trials (gain 2.25): activity 0.98 ×, turn command 0 Hz in 3 of 3, escape 0 to 0.5 Hz; 6 search trials at gains 2.0 and 2.5 (open marks): turn command between -3 and 1 Hz. Scrambled inside only (edges onto output neurons kept), 6 trials over 3 shuffles: activity 0.39 ×, far-side turn command 0 Hz in 6 of 6, escape mean 76 to 85 Hz (the near-side giant fibre 151–169 Hz, the far side 0 Hz). Giant fibre silenced, real map, 2 trials: activity 0.99 ×, turn command 23 and 41 Hz, escape 113 to 118 Hz. One model (Shiu et al. LIF on FlyWire v783), brain only, every LC4/LPLC2 of one eye at 80 Hz for 1 s; descending-neuron rates, not a moving fly; not a real fly. Where in the wiring is the turn? Digital Fly Lab We turned the scrambled maps up until they were as busy as the real one. They still did not produce the turn: the wiring, not the amount of activity, makes it. Brain only, 1 s per trial. One mark per trial: circles = shadow on the left eye, squares = right eye. How busy? spikes outside stimulated cells, × the real map Turn command far-side minus near-side DNa02 (Hz) Escape signal giant fibre, mean of both sides (Hz) Real map 6 trials (4 on 5 Oct, 2 on 6 Oct) Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real 1.0× Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real 23–44 Hz Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real 112–121 Scrambled map 6 trials, 3 shuffles Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real 0.07× Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real all 0 Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real all 0 Scrambled, turned up as busy as real: 3 trials Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real 0.98× Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real 0 in 3 of 3 Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real 0–0.5 Scrambled inside only edges onto outputs kept: 6 Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real 0.39× Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real 0 far side Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real 76–85 Giant fibre silenced real map: 2 trials Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 0.99× Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 23 and 41 Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 113–118 0× 1× 2× 0 20 40 0 50 100 shaded: ±30% of real real map real map, giant fibre silenced scrambled gain search trial, not matched left eye right eye Brain only. Descending-neuron rates in one model (Shiu et al. LIF on FlyWire v783), 1 s, every LC4/LPLC2 of one eye at 80 Hz; not a moving fly, not a real fly. No new body runs yet: 7 drives wait for the next check; the matched and plain scrambles sent exactly the no-brain floor's drive, so their walk is the floor's by determinism. n per arm: real 6, scrambled 6 (3 shuffles), turned up 3 (+6 search trials), inside only 6 (3 shuffles), giant fibre off 2. Fast input: the 6 Oct trials used a faster input that passed its pre-registered check (gate V) against the 5 Oct input. Turn command = far-side minus near-side DNa02, the side convention of our 5 Oct test ("away" rests on our mapping). Source: Digital Fly Lab, our own pre-registered test of 6 Oct 2026 (pre-registered 09:42:54 UTC, before the first trial). Method, every trial and limits: shaduf.ai/p/digital-fly-catalog/is-it-real/#loom2-heading Where in the wiring is the turn? Brain-only trials of 5 and 6 Oct 2026 (Shiu et al. model on FlyWire v783, every LC4 and LPLC2 neuron of one eye at 80 Hz for 1 s). One mark per trial; circles: shadow on the left eye, squares: right eye. Three measures per trial: how busy the brain is outside the stimulated neurons (as a multiple of the real map), the turn command (far-side minus near-side DNa02, Hz) and the escape signal (giant fibre mean, Hz). Real map, 6 trials: activity 1.0 ×, turn command 23–44 Hz, escape 111.5–120.5 Hz. Scrambled map (degree-preserving), 6 trials over 3 shuffles: activity 0.07 ×, every readout 0 Hz. Scrambled and turned up until as busy as the real map, 3 matched trials (gain 2.25): activity 0.98 ×, turn command 0 Hz in 3 of 3, escape 0 to 0.5 Hz; 6 search trials at gains 2.0 and 2.5 (open marks): turn command between -3 and 1 Hz. Scrambled inside only (edges onto output neurons kept), 6 trials over 3 shuffles: activity 0.39 ×, far-side turn command 0 Hz in 6 of 6, escape mean 76 to 85 Hz (the near-side giant fibre 151–169 Hz, the far side 0 Hz). Giant fibre silenced, real map, 2 trials: activity 0.99 ×, turn command 23 and 41 Hz, escape 113 to 118 Hz. One model (Shiu et al. LIF on FlyWire v783), brain only, every LC4/LPLC2 of one eye at 80 Hz for 1 s; descending-neuron rates, not a moving fly; not a real fly. We turned the scrambled maps up until they were as busy as the real one. They still did not produce the turn. Brain only, 1 s per trial. Circle: left eye; square: right eye. How busy? (× real) Real map Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Scrambled map Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled, turned up Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real Inside-only scramble Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real Giant fibre silenced Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 0× 1× 2× Turn command (Hz) Real map Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Scrambled map Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled, turned up Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real Inside-only scramble Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real Giant fibre silenced Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 0 20 40 Escape signal (Hz) Real map Real map (LOOML-real-0, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 111.5 Hz (left 129 / right 94), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Real map (LOOML-real-1, shadow on the left eye): turn command 28 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 28 Hz), giant fibre mean 114 Hz (left 129 / right 99), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-0, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 119 Hz (left 89 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-1, shadow on the right eye): turn command 44 Hz (DNa02 left 44 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 120.5 Hz (left 85 / right 156), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Real map (LOOML-real-2-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 25 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 25 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 129 / right 104), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.03 × real Real map (LOOMR-real-2-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 116.5 Hz (left 84 / right 149), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.00 × real Scrambled map Scrambled map (LOOML-D-3, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-4, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-3, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.06 × real Scrambled map (LOOML-D-5-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-4-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled map (LOOMR-D-5-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.07 × real Scrambled, turned up Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.64 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.52 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.58 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command -3 Hz (DNa02 left 3 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 1.5 Hz (left 3 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 1.63 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2, search trial): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.62 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.5-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.5, search trial): turn command 1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 2.42 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-3-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0 Hz (left 0 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-4-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 1 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.98 × real Scrambled, turned up (LOOML-G-5-g2.25-f, shadow on the left eye, gain 2.25, matched): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 0.5 Hz (left 0 / right 1), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.97 × real Inside-only scramble Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-301-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.35 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-302-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 75.5 Hz (left 151 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.33 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOML-B-303-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 76.5 Hz (left 153 / right 0), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.36 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-301-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command -1 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 1 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.34 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-302-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 84.5 Hz (left 0 / right 169), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.40 × real Scrambled inside only (LOOMR-B-303-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 0 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 83.5 Hz (left 0 / right 167), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.54 × real Giant fibre silenced Giant fibre silenced (LOOML-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the left eye): turn command 23 Hz (DNa02 left 0 / right 23 Hz), giant fibre mean 113 Hz (left 131 / right 95), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real Giant fibre silenced (LOOMR-real-2-gfoff-f, shadow on the right eye): turn command 41 Hz (DNa02 left 41 / right 0 Hz), giant fibre mean 117.5 Hz (left 84 / right 151), activity outside the stimulated neurons 0.99 × real 0 50 100 Brain only: no body runs yet (7 pending). Turned-up and plain scrambles sent the no-brain floor drive. n: real 6, plain 6, turned up 3, inside 6, fibre off 2. Fast input passed gate V. One model, 1 s; not a real fly. Digital Fly Lab, 6 Oct 2026
We turned the scrambled maps up until they were as busy as the real one. They still did not produce the turn: the wiring, not the amount of activity, makes it.
One model, brain only: the caveats are inside the chart and listed below it. Circles: shadow on the left eye; squares: right eye. Marks are spread up and down where values are equal. Pre-registered at 09:42:54 UTC on 6 Oct 2026, before the first trial; the 5 Oct trials of the real map and the plain scramble are included as they were.
Read this before sharing. One model (Shiu et al. LIF on FlyWire v783), brain only, every LC4/LPLC2 of one eye at 80 Hz for 1 s; descending-neuron rates, not a moving fly; not a real fly.
Brain level only. No fly walked in these trials. Seven of the 22 new trials sent drives that differ from the no-brain floor (the two new real trials, both giant-fibre-off trials, one inside-only trial and two off-band gain-search trials); they wait for body runs on our next check. The other 15, including all 3 matched turned-up trials and the 3 new plain scrambles, sent exactly the floor's drive (same sha256), so their body result is the floor's walk by determinism.Small n. Real map 6 trials, plain scramble 6 (3 shuffles), turned up 3 matched trials (3 shuffles, one gain; plus 6 search trials), inside-only 6 (3 shuffles), giant fibre silenced 2. Only the left eye was used for the turned-up arm, as pre-registered; its activity rises steeply with gain (about 9,000 to more than 22,000 spikes between gains 2.0 and 2.5).A faster input. The 6 Oct trials fed the 80 Hz input through one Poisson group instead of one input per neuron, which cut a trial from about 165 s to about 62 s. It is statistically equivalent, not bit-exact: it passed every criterion of its pre-registered check (gate V) on both eyes, and the plain scrambles agree with 5 Oct in both modes.The direction. "Turn command" is the far-side minus the near-side DNa02 rate, the side convention of our 5 Oct test; "away" rests on our hand-made mapping and on fly67's claim. A primary source for "away" in real flies, Card and Dickinson 2008, covers take-off direction only, not walking turns or DNa02.Partly expected from the map. The looming neurons have no direct synapses onto DNa02, so an inside-only scramble that breaks every relay was likely to remove the turn command; what the trials add is that no other route rebuilt it, and that the escape signal survived only on the side with direct synapses.
Is it AI? Now a field on every entry: 45 of 83 graded projects have a trained, learning or search-tuned part in their main path, 38 have none. The answer and chart · filter the catalogue by it .What do I have to download? Two files, 104.1 MB, to run the brain model; FlyWire v783 in full is 10.6 GB, MaleCNS 31.3 GB, BANC 536.1 GB. The download facts table , with the open FlyWire licence question.Five more browser demos loaded on a computer without a GPU: all five ran, from 3.8 to 36 MB, three computing in your browser. Does it actually run? 116 entries (5 new: fly tennis A , two untrained flies rallying a ball; FlyBrain Flappy B , Flappy Bird through the escape pathway; Fly-Racer , FlyWire Pong and a nerve-cord walking simulation C ) and 54 videos (a Spanish Doom explainer added).The controls ledger has 41 studies, 33 with a wiring null: helps 15, no difference 8, worse 2, mixed 7, not yet scored 1. Our looming row is now fair with a strong method by the fixed rules. Gorilla Tag reached 899,151 views and still shows no code: U . Research report of the ninth check
Start from your question
I saw a fly brain playing Doom, Minecraft or Pokémon. Is it real?
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Is it real? A verdict table for viral claims and a five-question check you can use on any demo.
Does the fly's real wiring actually matter, or would any network do?
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Does fly wiring help? 41 control studies side by side, our own four-way scrambling test, our walking-body test and our looming tests: where scrambled wiring fails, where it does just as well, and which controls are fair.
I want to watch the demos everyone is sharing.
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Watch the demos 54 videos from YouTube, X, TikTok and project sites, labelled by language, each with its project's evidence grade and what the video does not show.
I want to try a fly brain in my browser right now.
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Ways to try the fly Online demos and no-install options, with the date we checked them, which demos actually ran in our browser, and how much each one downloads.
I want the GitHub code, the licence and what it needs to run.
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Projects catalogue Filter by evidence grade, dataset, licence, platform and trained parts ("is it AI?"). Every entry has its source.
I want to build my own small fly brain project.
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Build your own From an empty folder to a whole-brain simulation, a brain driving a walking fly body, and a looming shadow that turns it, tested on Linux with 2 CPUs; untested steps are marked.
I want to understand the science behind it.
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How it works The FlyWire connectome and other datasets, what you have to download, neuron models, bodies and the sense → model → act loop.
I am an AI agent, or I build one.
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For AI agents Stable routes, record fields, grade meanings and the citation rule.
The catalogue at a glance
Games and browser demos are mostly grade B or C: the brain runs, but people chose the inputs and outputs. The grade A entries are mostly research tests with controls, including several honest negative results.
How to read our evidence grades
Every project gets one grade. The grade says how well the project's own claim about a fly-brain-driven behaviour is supported. It is not a score for quality or fun: a careful study that found a negative result can be grade A, and a great game can be grade D.
A Tested against real-fly data or a controlB Real connectome runs, inputs and outputs chosen by handC Partial, stand-in or decorative networkD Scripted or ordinary game logicU Unverified claimn/a Dataset or tool, not graded
Read the full grade rules and the viral-claims verdicts .
Two dates on every entry
Last upstream activity
The date of the project's last commit or release on GitHub or its own site. It tells you whether the authors still work on it. Some other lists show the date a repository was created instead, which can be years out of date.
Last verified by us
The date we last opened the link and checked the facts in the entry. A recent date here means the link worked and the licence and setup notes were correct on that day.
What is new
6 Oct 2026: ninth check. Where in the wiring is the turn? Scrambled maps as busy as the real one still gave no turn command (brain only); "Is it AI?" as a catalogue field; download sizes for 8 releases; five more browser demos , all ran; 5 new entries, 1 new video. Report 5 Oct 2026: eighth check. We ran the map : a looming shadow turned our simulated fly away with the real wiring (4 of 4) and not with scrambled wiring (0 of 3), with every caveat beside it; plain answers to four common questions; "Add a sense: looming" tested on Build your own ; 4 new entries, 1 new video, language labels in the gallery. Report 3 Oct 2026: seventh check. Does it actually run? Our browser check of six demos (3 ran); a project page for flyvis ; a "Last checked" column on Is it real? ; fly-cartpole changed sides in the controls ledger ; 3 new entries. Report 2 Oct 2026: sixth check. Who does the walking? Our own test of a fly brain model driving a walking body; a verdict on the Terraria fly ; "Add a body" tested on Build your own ; 4 new entries, 1 new video.1 Oct 2026: fifth check. Our own pre-registered fair test scrambles the fly brain four ways; verdicts on the Gorilla Tag and Roblox fight videos; a chart of the Doom autopilot test; 6 new entries, 2 new videos; Build your own re-tested.30 Sep 2026: fourth check. A new page, Does fly wiring help? , puts 31 control studies side by side; a verdict on FlyLeno ; 12 new entries, 2 new videos, and a Controls filter in the catalogue.29 Sep 2026: third check. Verdicts on two viral claims (Pokémon on a Raspberry Pi , Rainbow Six Siege ), a wiring test where scrambled wiring fails, DesktopFly re-graded to C with a new project page , 9 new entries and 3 new videos.28 Sep 2026: second check. 58 entries and 40 videos re-checked with no changes, 15 new projects, 4 new videos, a Doom control study on Is it real? , and project pages for DOOMFLY and the Shiu et al. brain model .28 Sep 2026: Video gallery . 40 fly brain videos, from the viral Doom, Minecraft and Beat Saber clips to the lab films, each with the project's grade from our catalogue and what the video does not show. Videos open on their original platform.28 Sep 2026: first release. 58 checked entries with evidence grades, true update dates, licences and link checks.Verdicts on 20 viral claims , including Terraria, Gorilla Tag, FlyLeno, Doom, Half-Life, Minecraft, Pokémon, Rainbow Six Siege, Beat Saber, Bad Apple, Mario 64 and Eon's "uploaded" fly, on Is it real? A tested beginner guide : run the fruit fly brain model on a CPU, change it, and check it against shuffled wiring, on Build your own .Seven connectome datasets compared , with data licences and an explanation of the different neuron counts, on How it works .
Every later run adds new projects and material updates to New and updated , and each research run is kept in Research .
Independent resource. Digital Fly Lab is an independent Shaduf research catalogue. It is not an official site of FlyWire, Janelia, NeuroMechFly (FlyGym), Eon Systems or any project listed here. We describe projects in our own words and link to the original authors, papers and code. Always cite the upstream source first.