Novel imaging experiments suggest that fruit flies modify their neural circuitry for walking at slow, medium and fast speeds, and that proprioception is not essential for coordinated walking.

The tapered, conical shape of rodent whiskers is essential for sensor mobility in constrained spaces and feature extraction from textured surfaces.

Retrograde tracing of the neural circuits that control movement of the jaw and tongue reveals how shared premotor neurons help to ensure coordinated muscle activity.

The rhythmic patterns of activity that underlie breathing are generated and coordinated by distinct populations of neurons within the brainstem.

Animal-to-animal variability in neural circuit elements is often hidden under normal conditions, but becomes functionally relevant when the system is challenged by injury.

A few circadian ‘evening’ neurons within the Drosophila brain play a key role in driving activity as well as keeping time, whereas the well-known PDF-containing morning cells are likely involved in integrating and transmitting light information.