We are excited to invite the very first citizen scientists to FlyWire, the next chapter in neuroscience from Princeton University’s Seung Lab, the creators of Eyewire.
FlyWire aims to create the world’s largest whole-brain connectome. When we’re done, all ~115,000 neurons and 150M synapses of drosophila melanogaster, aka the fruit fly, will be charted for the first time. In FlyWire, you’ll get to claim and map your own cell, utilizing the next generation AI that the lab has been working on behind the scenes for years.
Mapping the fly brain is our lab’s top priority, and it’s also a testing ground for further developing Neuroglancer, the software underlying Eyewire’s successor, Pyr. If you’d like to help reach this goal, or if you’d like to get in on the ground floor for a new citizen science tool, now’s your chance!
This is an unprecedented step to take with our established Eyewire players. Here are a few important things to understand if you choose to accept this mission.
- Your level of participation is completely at your own discretion! New features are being added to Neuroglancer all the time, but the software still lacks many useful tools that are in Eyewire.
- The usual Eyewire GMs will be available to help you learn FlyWire, and we’ll be creating tutorial materials and other guides geared toward citizen scientists, in addition to the existing training materials that are currently geared toward the large community of professional researchers who currently use FlyWire.
- We will solicit your formal and informal feedback along the way. Anything you share will directly influence the design and development of FlyWire.
- FlyWire has its own live chat, discussion board, and dedicated e-mail helpline. HQ encourages you to use these services instead of Eyewire’s if you have a FlyWire question.
Resources:
For Science!