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Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology

Gordon Research Conference

A Systems View on Behavior, Genes, Neurons and Environment

June 29 - July 4, 2025

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco

Via Giovanni Pascoli

Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

The Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

The Neuroethology Gordon Conference represents the community of scientists interested in how an animal’s nervous system controls its behavior. We come from many scientific lineages, use a range of experimental approaches, and study different animals, but we share common questions. This year we will meet in Tuscany and look forward to learning from the past, the future, and each other. Please join us for the meeting!

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Behavior in the Lab and in the Wild Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 8:00 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
8:00 pm - 8:20 pm	"Dynamic Insect Vision: From Single Photons to Flight Control in Natural Environments"
8:20 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	"Repeated Behavioral Evolution is Associated with Targeted Convergence of Gene Expression in Cavity-Nesting Songbirds"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:10 pm	"The Neuroscience of Episodic Memory in Food-Caching Chickadees"
9:10 pm - 9:20 pm	Discussion
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	General Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Life at Extremes: Thriving on a Changing Planet Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:20 am - 9:40 am	"Olfaction in the Anthropocene: Atmospheric Pollutants Negatively Impacts Olfactory Processing and Flower Visitation in Nocturnal Moths"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:10 am	"A New Tale About Environmental Pollution: Water-Borne Nitrite Effects in the Chemical Senses of Fish"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	"Why and How We Study Neurobiology in Changing Environments: The ADC-NiCE Approach"
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"Mechanisms of Neuronal Acclimation and Adaptation in a Pattern Generating Neuronal Circuit"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:10 pm	"The Molecular and Neural Basis of Alloparental Care in Ants"
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Krogh’s Many Marvelous Animals Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:20 pm - 6:40 pm	"Moonstruck - Lessons from a Marine Insect on the Evolutionary Origins of Lunar Rhythms and Clocks"
6:40 pm - 6:50 pm	Discussion
6:50 pm - 7:10 pm	"Comparative Neural Mechanisms of Social Communication"
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm	Discussion
7:20 pm - 7:40 pm	"The Evolution of Social Behaviors in Nature and Under Domestication"
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Discussion
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Invertebrate Cognition Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:20 am - 9:45 am	"The Exploration of Consciousness in Insects"
9:45 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	Late-Breaking Topic
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:25 am	"The ‘Avoidance Paradox’ Explained? Valence from Action in Flies"
11:25 am - 11:40 am	Discussion
11:40 am - 12:05 pm	"Neural Systems Underlying Bee Navigation"
12:05 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Specialized Sensors Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:20 pm - 6:40 pm	"Taste by Touch in Octopus"
6:40 pm - 6:45 pm	Discussion
6:45 pm - 7:05 pm	"The Colorful World of Birds and Their Eggs"
7:05 pm - 7:10 pm	Discussion
7:10 pm - 7:30 pm	"The Evolution of Computation in the Brain: Insights from Studying the Vertebrate Retina"
7:30 pm - 7:35 pm	Discussion
7:35 pm - 7:55 pm	"Neural Basis for a Social Internal Model in Weakly Electric Fish"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Tinbergen's Four Questions Today Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:20 am - 9:40 am	"Tracking the Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Interactions and Structure of Wild Fish Schools"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:10 am	"Evolutionary Transition of a Migratory Songbird to Residency Can be Explained by Reduced Seasonal Change in Epigenetic Reaction Norm"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:30 am - 10:35 am	Discussion
10:35 am - 11:05 am	Coffee Break
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:15 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"From Nerves to Niche: A Multi-Level Approach to Octopus Learning and Memory"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:10 pm	"Communication and Cooperation, Lessons from the Naked Mole-Rat"
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Extended Phenotypes Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:20 pm - 6:40 pm	"Untangling the Web of Behaviors Used in Spider Orb-Weaving"
6:40 pm - 6:50 pm	Discussion
6:50 pm - 7:10 pm	"How Does a Bird Know What Nest to Build?"
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm	Discussion
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	General Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Behavior Evolution: Mechanisms and Change Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:20 am - 9:40 am	"An Evolutionary Perspective on Dog Behavioral Genetics"
9:40 am - 9:50 am	Discussion
9:50 am - 10:10 am	"Neural Mechanisms of Drosophila Courtship Song Generation, Variation, and Evolution"
10:10 am - 10:20 am	Discussion
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Coffee Break
10:50 am - 11:10 am	Late-Breaking Topic
11:10 am - 11:20 am	Discussion
11:20 am - 11:40 am	"The Importance of Being Social: Social Relationships and Evolution in Wild Baboons"
11:40 am - 11:50 am	Discussion
11:50 am - 12:10 pm	"The Genome Encodes a Generative Model of Organismal Form and Nature"
12:10 pm - 12:20 pm	Discussion
12:20 pm - 12:30 pm	General Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Lessons from the Future: Updates, Methods, and Questions for Studying Neural Control of Behavior Discussion Leaders: and
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
6:20 pm - 6:35 pm	"Bloodthirsty Boogie: Adaptive Motor Control and Proprioceptive Integration in Mosquitoes"
6:35 pm - 6:40 pm	Discussion
6:40 pm - 6:55 pm	"New and Old Methods to understand the Evolution and Neural Basis of a Skilled Movement in Birds"
6:55 pm - 7:00 pm	Discussion
7:00 pm - 7:20 pm	"Resilience in Motion: Redesigning Locomotor Circuits for Crawling After Injury"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	"Thinking on the Fly: A Multisensory Multispecies Approach to Studying Flight Control"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R13NS143292. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army or U.S. Government position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other documentation.

Conference Links

Conference History Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution and Neurobiology (GRS)

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