What makes fighting fish so feisty?

New studies combining genetics and neuroscience offer clues

Centuries of selective breeding of Siamese fighting (betta) fish (Betta splendens) have produced the elaborate colors and patterns that have made them popular pets. But their early domestication was focused on a different signature trait: aggression. In this video, Andrés Bendesky and his team at Columbia University describe how they’ve combined genetics and neuroscience to understand what puts the fight in these fish. The work could help the team and other scientists understand how genes, neurons, and aggression are linked in a variety of animals, including humans.

Read the research paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s...

00:00 Introduction to Betta Fish Aggression
00:38 Research Focus and Evolution of Aggression
01:39 Genetic Comparisons and Discoveries
02:52 Behavioral Experiments and Findings
03:52 Neuroscientific Insights and Techniques
04:28 Genetic Modifications and Future Research
05:04 Implications for Human Behavior