Modeling dynamics, function and evolution of earliest nervous systems

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In the proposed project we will investigate the dynamics, function and evolution of evolutionarily earliest nervous systems, using a combined modeling and experimental approach. The species with the first nervous systems are unknown and extinct. We will therefore consider the nervous systems of jellyfish, which are very similar to the first ones. We will model their dynamics and employ simulations and experiments to study how these dynamics control the swimming behavior. Finally, we will model how the simplest nervous systems have evolved to more complex ones and how this changed the efficiency of control and movement.