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    "story_id": "mp-2026-07-23-011",
    "source_story_id": "tmp-story-flies-directional-odor-memory",
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    "headline": "The Fly Remembers Which Way the Missing Smell Went",
    "slug": "the-fly-remembers-which-way-the-missing-smell-went",
    "dek": "Fruit flies stored a directional memory that guided their weaving search after an odor plume vanished.",
    "summary": "Fruit flies stored a directional memory that guided their weaving search after an odor plume vanished.",
    "body_text": "Rockefeller University researchers tracked fruit flies moving along the fluctuating edge of an odor plume. When scent disappeared, the insects used a short-lived directional memory to cast back toward where the plume was expected, rather than simply moving forward. Neural recordings and behavioral experiments connect the strategy to specific circuitry. The study explains one laboratory navigation behavior, not all animal odor tracking.",
    "why_it_matters": "Fruit flies stored a directional memory that guided their weaving search after an odor plume vanished.",
    "limitations": [
      "The study explains one laboratory navigation behavior, not all animal odor tracking."
    ],
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    "first_published_at": "2026-07-23T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-07-23T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "Fruit flies stored a directional memory that guided their weaving search after an odor plume vanished.",
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        "qualification": "The study explains one laboratory navigation behavior, not all animal odor tracking."
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    "tags": [
      "fruit flies",
      "navigation",
      "memory"
    ],
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    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-07-23-011",
      "title": "Rockefeller University via Newswise: Directional odor memory in flies",
      "publisher": "Rockefeller University via Newswise",
      "url": "https://www.newswise.com/articles/flies-use-directional-memory-to-track-a-scent",
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      "accessed_at": "2026-07-23T08:34:00.000-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
    "description": "A daily newspaper for the age of artificial intelligence."
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    "title": "The Fly Remembers Which Way the Missing Smell Went",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-07-23T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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