Neuroscientist debunks viral fly-brain demos: most Beat Saber and Doom stunts aren't real closed loops
patrickmineault · x · 2026-09-14
After HHMI Janelia released the male fruit fly connectome (MaleCNS), X filled with demos of a virtual fly playing Beat Saber, Doom, Minecraft and controlling robots — plus memecoins and crypto-trading-fly stunts. Neuroscientist Patrick Mineault breaks down what's real: most demos with findable source don't implement a full sensation-to-motor loop. The Beat Saber demo is overtrained on one track and barely uses visual input; others train flexible policies on top of the connectome or backprop through it. No flies were uploaded, virtual fly brains aren't conscious, and there's no Torment Nexus — but he's glad the connectome is getting public engagement.
Related event: Fly connectome demos go viral, then neuroscientists push back(5 posts)→
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