The entomology literature has historically suggested insects cannot feel pain, leading to
their exclusion from ethical debates and animal welfare legislation. However, there may be …

Mechanosensitive ion channels are gated directly by physical stimuli and transduce these
stimuli into electrical signals. Several criteria must apply for a channel to be considered …

Natural events present multiple types of sensory cues, each detected by a specialized
sensory modality. Combining information from several modalities is essential for the …

Transduction of mechanical stimuli by receptor cells is essential for senses such as hearing,
touch and pain,,,. Ion channels have a role in neuronal mechanotransduction in …

Photoreceptors for visual perception, phototaxis or light avoidance are typically clustered in
eyes or related structures such as the Bolwig organ of Drosophila larvae. Unexpectedly, we …

Background Natural selection has resulted in a complex and fascinating repertoire of innate
behaviors that are produced by insects. One puzzling example occurs in fruit fly larvae that …

Transformation of mechanical energy into ionic currents is essential for touch, hearing and
nociception. Although DEG/ENaC proteins are believed to form sensory …

The ability to react to environmental change is crucial for the survival of an organism and an
essential prerequisite is the capacity to detect and respond to aversive stimuli. The …

Neurons that sense touch, sound and acceleration respond rapidly to specific mechanical
signals. The proteins that transduce these signals and underlie these senses, however, are …

A single nervous system can generate many distinct motor patterns. Identifying which
neurons and circuits control which behaviors has been a laborious piecemeal process …