Brain-Computer Interfaces to Insect Navigation and Vertebrate Spine: Naked Scientists unpack Neuralink implants, nocturnal insects, and vertebrate evolution

The Naked Scientists investigate cutting edge science from brain computer interfaces to nocturnal insect navigation and vertebrate spine evolution, with a look at fasting and aging and a language evolution Q&A.

• Brain computer interfaces progress, decoding, training and future directions
• Nocturnal insects are drawn to light due to up orientation cues, not heat alone
• The vertebrate backbone as a central axis of evolution and diversity

Overview

This week the Naked Scientists cover four major threads in science technology and medicine. First, a Neuralink style brain computer interface is discussed with a neural interfaces expert, focusing on how brain signals are translated into computer commands and the challenges of decoding and training. The episode then shifts to an insect navigation study showing that nocturnal insects respond to sky cues rather than simple heat attraction, with high speed photography revealing how orientation to light governs circular flight patterns. A third feature presents a spine exhibition at the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, illustrating vertebrate evolution through fossil and developmental evidence and a Victorian teaching display. Finally, the program discusses fasting and inflammation, and a language evolution Question of the Week with an explainer on why languages differ across borders.

Brain Computer Interfaces and Neural Interfaces

The discussion with Andrew Jackson, a professor of neural interfaces, outlines the aim of brain computer interface technology to sense electrical activity in the brain, decode it, and translate it into computer controlled actions. The transcript explains that early work began around the turn of the millennium, with simple tasks like cursor control evolving toward robotic arms and even speech decoding from brain activity. A key concept is decoding the signals from populations of neurons as votes toward intended movements, a process that requires training algorithms to recognise patterns of activity linked to specific instructions. The conversation also touches on the possibility of bidirectional interfaces, with cochlear implants as a precedent and speculation about memory and higher cognitive functions. The interviewer remains open about future applications while acknowledging current limitations such as speed, accuracy, and the need for user training.

Insects and Light at Night

Sam Fabian from Imperial College London explains why insects are attracted to artificial lights at night. The team uses UV LEDs and high speed cameras to capture the flight trajectories of insects around lights. A central finding is that insects tilt toward the light, interpreting the bright spot as the sky, which leads to circular flight patterns rather than direct straight lines toward the light. The explanation also considers gravity and orientation, showing that tilting behavior can create circular orbits around a light source especially in low wind conditions. The discussion highlights wavelengths as a crucial factor, with UV light particularly influential, and suggests lighting designs that minimise ecological disruption by altering light direction and wavelength.

Growing a Backbone: Vertebrate Spine Exhibition

Jason Head describes the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology exhibition Growing a Backbone, which traces vertebrate evolution from early Cambrian origins to the modern vertebrate form. The spine is described as the central axis of vertebrate body plans and evolution, enabling larger body sizes and diverse locomotor capabilities. The display uses a Burmese python skeleton to illustrate the number of vertebrae and rib changes along the body, and discusses hind limb remnants in some snakes and their functions in mating. A Victorian teaching tool featuring exploded skulls demonstrates the neural crest origin of facial bones and other vertebrate features, connecting embryology to fossil evidence. The interview also points to an origin story of vertebrates moving from water to land, a theme highlighted by the museum’s predecessor Jenny Clack.

Fasting and Inflammation

Claire Bryant from Cambridge University discusses research linking fasting to reduced inflammation through changes in lipid metabolism, particularly arachidonic acid. The conversation explains that fasting increases arachidonic acid levels, which paradoxically can damp inflammasome activity, potentially reducing inflammation and aging processes. The discussion connects to how aspirin also affects arachidonic acid, offering a multi-faceted anti-inflammatory mechanism. The team questions optimal fasting regimes, including frequency and duration, and emphasizes that this is an early step in understanding how caloric restriction modulates inflammatory pathways.

Question of the Week: Language Evolution

Will Tingle introduces a language evolution question answered by David Crystal, explaining how geographic separation leads to divergence in language and dialects, eventually creating distinct languages over long timescales. The segment notes the ongoing threat to languages worldwide and mentions organizations working to preserve linguistic diversity. The episode closes with a teaser about future topics and credits the Cambridge setting and the program’s association with Spitfire and Epidemic Sound for production and music.

Takeaways

The episode ties together frontiers in neuroscience, ecology, evolution, and cognitive science. It emphasizes the importance of decoding brain signals for assistive technology, the unintended ecological consequences of artificial night lighting, the deep evolutionary history of the spine, and the potential systemic benefits of fasting for inflammation. The program demonstrates how diverse scientific threads intersect—neuroscience, biology, and anthropology—within an accessible discussion format.

Key Insights

• Brain computer interfaces have progressed from cursor control to potential language decoding, but decoding remains a bottleneck
• Nocturnal insects follow sky cues such as the sun and sky gradient, not just heat sources, leading to circular flight near lights
• The vertebrate spine evolved as a modular axis enabling large body sizes and locomotion diversification