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Researcher uses GPT-6 Astra to simulate a 166,700-neuron fruit fly brain in Minecraft

September 5, 2026 at 13:12 EDT

Software Dev & Coding
Foundation Models
Research & Papers

A Georgia Institute of Technology AI researcher has run the full MaleCNS v1.0 fruit fly connectome — all 166,700 neurons — inside Minecraft, with simulated neural activity driving a virtual fly, in a first-version build made with help from OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra.

4 Sep 2026 · MaleCNS v1.0

A fruit fly brain, running in Minecraft

GPT-6 Astra helped a researcher load all 166,700 neurons of the new male fruit fly connectome into the game, with simulated firing steering a virtual fly. Version 1 is still in development.

Connectome scale

From hemibrain to a full male CNS

25k

2020 hemibrain

140k

2024 adult brain

166.7k

2026 MaleCNS

Each block is about 12,800 neurons. The new map adds the ventral nerve cord to the adult brain, taking the count from 140,000 to 166,700.

166,700

Neurons, fully proofread

11,710

Identifiable cell types

~125M

Synaptic connections

44 yr

Human labor to reconstruct

How the demo is wired

Load MaleCNS map

166,700 neurons, public v1.0

→

Simulate firing

Activity from the wiring diagram

→

Steer a Minecraft fly

Built with GPT-6 Astra; mod coming

What it shows

The full retained MaleCNS map is running in-game, and simulated neural activity is what moves the virtual fly. Developers see it as a fast way to watch a real wiring diagram drive a body.

What it is not

A connectome is not a transferred mind. Minecraft is not a fly’s sensors or limbs. Code is unreleased, and version 1 is still in development.

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