Talk by Carlos Ribeiro, PhD, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon

A balanced intake of nutrients is a key determinant of health, wellbeing, and aging. To maintain homeostasis, animals adapt their foraging strategies, physiology, and metabolism to meet immediate and future demands. We aim to understand how animals decide what to eat and how their metabolism aligns with physiological needs, focusing on the interplay between brain-body interactions, metabolic processes, and the microbiome, a key player in shaping these adaptations. Our research uses Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate nutritional decision-making at the interface of behavior, metabolism, microbiome, and physiology. By leveraging tools such as automated behavioral analyses, metabolomics, connectomics, neuronal activity imaging, and precise nutritional and microbial manipulations, we explore how internal states and environmental factors influence dietary choices and metabolic responses. This integrative approach allows us to reveal how internal states and environmental contexts shape dietary decisions. Ultimately, our goal is to build a unified framework for understanding the principles of nutrient regulation, offering insights into metabolic resilience and fitness across species.