Category: Cognitive Navigation

How does one brain circuit encode memories of both places and events?

Sarthak Chandra, Sugandha Sharma, Rishidev Chaudhuri & Ila Fiete. Episodic and associative memory from spatial scaffolds in the hippocampus. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08392-y

Abstract
“Hippocampal circuits in the brain enable two distinct cognitive functions: the construction of spatial maps for

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How to understand the neural basis of natural intelligence?

Angelo Forli, Michael M. Yartsev. Understanding the neural basis of natural intelligence. Cell, 2024, Volume 187, Issue 21, 5833 – 5837

Abstract
Understanding the neural basis of natural intelligence necessitates a paradigm shift: from strict reductionism toward …

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How synaptic plasticity underlies place-field formation and memory encoding during navigation?

Gonzalez, K.C., Negrean, A., Liao, Z. et al. Synaptic basis of feature selectivity in hippocampal neurons. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08325-9

Abstract
“A central question in neuroscience is how synaptic plasticity shapes the feature selectivity of neurons in behaving animals1. …

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How learning-associated astrocyte ensembles regulate memory recall?

Williamson, M.R., Kwon, W., Woo, J. et al. Learning-associated astrocyte ensembles regulate memory recall. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08170-w

Abstract
The physical manifestations of memory formation and recall are fundamental questions that remain unresolved1. At the cellular level, ensembles …

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How bats use environmental acoustic information to perform acoustic cognitive map–based navigation?

Aya Goldshtein, Xing Chen, Eran Amichai, Arjan Boonman, Lee Harten, Omer Yinon,Yotam Orchan, Ran Nathan, Sivan Toledo, Iain D. Couzin, Yossi Yovel. Acoustic cognitive map–based navigation in echolocating bats.Science 386,561-567(2024).DOI:10.1126/science.adn6269

Editor’s summary
“Insectivorous bats are well known to use …

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Where visual objects are encoded in the mouse brain or how visual objects impact processing within the spatial navigation system?

Dominique Siegenthaler, Henry Denny, Sofía Skromne Carrasco, Johanna Luise Mayer, Adrien Peyrache, Stuart Trenholm, Émilie Macé. Visual objects refine head direction coding. bioRxiv 2024.10.21.619417; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.21.619417

Abstract
Animals use visual objects to guide navigation-related behaviors, from hunting prey,

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How hippocampal neuronal activity is aligned with action plans?

Ipshita Zutshi, Athina Apostolelli, Wannan Yang, Zheyang Zheng, Tora Dohi, Edoardo Balzani, Alex Williams, Cristina Savin, Gyorgy Buzsaki. Hippocampal neuronal activity is aligned with action plans.

Abstract
Neurons in the hippocampus are correlated with

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How ants use latent learning without map-like representation of space to navigate?

Leo Clement, Sebastian Schwarz, Antoine Wystrach. Latent learning without map-like representation of space in navigating ants. bioRxiv 2024.08.29.610243; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.29.610243

Abstract
“Desert ants are excellent navigators. Each individual learns long foraging routes meandering between the trees and bushes in …

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Whether the entorhinal grid system is also involved in predicting where an animal will be in the next moment?

Ayako Ouchi, Shigeyoshi Fujisawa ,Predictive grid coding in the medial entorhinal cortex.Science 385,776-784(2024).DOI:10.1126/science.ado4166

Editor’s summary
Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex create a coordinate system of the environment for spatial navigation. However, it is not clear whether

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What’s the relationship between world-centered (allocentric) and self-centered (egocentric) frames of spatial coding in the hippocampus during navigation?

Jordan Carpenter, Jan Sigurd Blackstad, David Tingley, Valentin A. Normand, Edvard I. Moser, May-Britt Moser, Benjamin A. Dunn. Investigating egocentric tuning in hippocampal CA1 neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 13 August 2024, e0040242024; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0040-24.2024

Abstract
Navigation requires integrating

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How abstract representations are encoded in populations of hippocampal neurons, how they emerge through learning and how they relate to behaviour?

Courellis, H.S., Minxha, J., Cardenas, A.R. et al. Abstract representations emerge in human hippocampal neurons during inference. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07799-x

Abstract
Humans have the remarkable cognitive capacity to rapidly adapt to changing environments. Central to this capacity …

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How the brain merge information from across sensory modalities?

Daniel D Kato, Randy M Bruno. Stability of cross-sensory input to primary somatosensory cortex across experience. bioRxiv 2024.08.07.607026; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.07.607026

Abstract
Merging information from across sensory modalities is key to forming robust, disambiguated percepts of the world, …

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How the hippocampus supports episodic and spatial memory at the same time?

Alexander Nitsch, Naomi de Haas, Mona M. Garvert, Christian F. Doeller. Integrating episodic and spatial context signals in the hippocampus. bioRxiv 2024.06.24.600445; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.24.600445

Abstract
Episodic and spatial memory are the two key components of the mnemonic system

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How the human brain to maintain a sense of direction during naturalistic, dynamic navigation?

Zhengang Lu, Joshua B. Julian, Geoffrey K. Aguirre, Russell A. Epstein. Neural compass in the human brain during naturalistic virtual navigation. bioRxiv 2024.04.18.590112; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.18.590112

SUMMARY
“Humans and animals maintain a consistent representation of their facing direction during spatial …

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How bees achieve vertebrate-like, high-level navigation behaviors with far fewer neurons in their brains?

Patel RN, Roberts NS, Kempenaers J, Zadel A, Heinze S. Parallel vector memories in the brain of a bee as foundation for flexible navigation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2024 Jul 23;121(30):e2402509121.

Significance
Insects navigate by

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How visual information becomes encoded by the brain’s navigation systems?

Dubanet, O. and Higley, M.J., 2024. Retrosplenial inputs drive visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex. Cell Reports, 43(7).

Summary
The importance of visual cues for navigation and goal-directed behavior is well established, although the neural mechanisms supporting

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How hippocampal-entorhinal cognitive maps and cortical motor system represent action plans and their outcomes?

Irina Barnaveli, Simone Viganò, Daniel Reznik, Patrick Haggard, Christian F. Doeller. Hippocampal-entorhinal cognitive maps and cortical motor system represent action plans and their outcomes. bioRxiv 2024.07.04.602119; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.04.602119

Efficiently interacting with the environment requires weighing and selecting among

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How retrosplenial inputs drive visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex?

Dubanet, Olivier, and Michael J. Higley. “Retrosplenial inputs drive visual representations in the medial entorhinal cortex.” Cell Reports 43.7 (2024).

Summary
“The importance of visual cues for navigation and goal-directed behavior is well established, although the neural mechanisms

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Whether and how neural dynamics of hippocampal neurons are influenced by the presence and actions of human experimenters?

Snyder, M.C., Qi, K.K. & Yartsev, M.M. Neural representation of human experimenters in the bat hippocampusNat Neurosci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01690-8

Abstract
“Here we conducted wireless electrophysiological recording of hippocampal neurons from Egyptian fruit bats in the presence of human

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How the brain perform control and recalibration of path integration in place cells using optic flow?

Madhav, M.S., Jayakumar, R.P., Li, B.Y. et al. Control and recalibration of path integration in place cells using optic flow. Nat Neurosci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01681-9

Abstract
Hippocampal place cells are influenced by both self-motion (idiothetic) signals and external sensory

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What’s the human neural dynamics of real-world and imagined navigation?

Martin Seeber, Matthias Stangl, Mauricio Vallejo, Uros Topalovic, Sonja Hiller, Casey H. Halpern, Jean-Philippe Langevin, Vikram R. Rao, Itzhak Fried, Dawn Eliashiv, Nanthia Suthana. Human neural dynamics of real-world and imagined navigation. bioRxiv 2024.05.23.595237; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.23.595237

Summary
The

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How medial entorhinal cortex mediates learning of context-dependent interval timing behavior?

Bigus, E.R., Lee, HW., Bowler, J.C. et al. Medial entorhinal cortex mediates learning of context-dependent interval timing behavior. Nat Neurosci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01683-7

Abstract
Episodic memory requires encoding the temporal structure of experience and relies on brain circuits in

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How animals simultaneously map their surroundings and tether goals to these surroundings during early experience in a novel environment?

Dan, Chuntao, Brad K. Hulse, Ramya Kappagantula, Vivek Jayaraman and Ann M. Hermundstad. “A neural circuit architecture for rapid learning in goal-directed navigation.” Neuron (2024): DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.036

Summary
Anchoring goals to spatial representations enables flexible navigation but is

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What’s the mechanism of spatial periodic computation of hippocampus-entorhinal circuit in navigation?

Bo Zhang, Jia Liu. The spatial periodic computation of hippocampus-entorhinal circuit in navigation. bioRxiv 2022.01.29.478346; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.29.478346

Summary
“To achieve the computational goal of navigating in both physical and mental spaces, human brain employs a cognitive map constructed by …

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What’s the mechanisms and function of grid cells in cognition?

Ling L. Dong, and Ila R. Fiete. Grid Cells in Cognition: Mechanisms and Function. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 2024. 47:345–68. 

Abstract

“The activity patterns of grid cells form distinctively regular triangular lattices over the explored spatial environment and are …

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How the hippocampus represents different spaces?

Fenton, A.A. Remapping revisited: how the hippocampus represents different spaces. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-024-00817-x

Abstract
The representation of distinct spaces by hippocampal place cells has been linked to changes in their place fields (the locations in the …

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How to build a bio-inspired hardware implementation of an analog spike-based hippocampus memory model?

Daniel Casanueva-Morato, Alvaro Ayuso-Martinez, Giacomo Indiveri, J P Dominguez-Morales,Gabriel Jimenez-Moreno. A bio-inspired hardware implementation of an analog spike-based hippocampus memory model. TechRxiv. April 03, 2024. DOI: 10.36227/techrxiv.171216721.14143739/v1

Abstract
“The need for processing at the edge the increasing amount of …

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How does the brain select what to remember during sleep?

Wannan Yang, Chen Sun, Roman Huszár, Thomas Hainmueller, Kirill Kiselev, György Buzsáki. “Selection of experience for memory by hippocampal sharp wave ripple.” Science 383, 1478-1483 (2024).

Abstract
Experiences need to be tagged during learning for further

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How hippocampal activity encodes numerous memories of specific events in life?

Selmaan N. Chettih,Emily L. Mackevicius,Stephanie Hale,Dmitriy Aronov. Barcoding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird. Cell, March 29, 2024.  DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.032

Summary
The hippocampus is critical for episodic memory. Although hippocampal activity represents place and …

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How the medial entorhinal cortex develops during learning and influences memory?

Malone, T.J., Tien, NW., Ma, Y. et al. A consistent map in the medial entorhinal cortex supports spatial memoryNat Commun 15, 1457 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45853-4

Abstract
The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) is hypothesized to function as a

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How place cells use environmental cues to resolve the ambiguity of arotationally symmetric environment?

Cheng, Han Yin, Dorothy W. Overington, and Kate J. Jeffery. “A configural context signal simultaneously but separably drives positioning and orientation of hippocampal place fields.” Hippocampus 34.2 (2024): 73-87.

Abstract
Effective self-localization requires that the brain can

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Whether associative memory involves temporally correlated spiking of medial temporal lobe (MTL) neurons that exhibit stimulus-specific tuning?

Kunz, L., Staresina, B.P., Reinacher, P.C. et al. Ripple-locked coactivity of stimulus-specific neurons and human associative memory. Nat Neurosci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-023-01550-x

Abstract
“Associative memory enables the encoding and retrieval of relations between different stimuli. To better understand its neural …

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How to convert an allocentric goal into an egocentric steering signal?

Mussells Pires, P., Zhang, L., Parache, V. et al. Converting an allocentric goal into an egocentric steering signal. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-07006-3

Abstract
“Neuronal signals that are relevant for spatial navigation have been described in many species1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. However, a circuit-level

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Whether the entorhinal cortex integrates relational information about changing values during prospective decision making using a grid-like representation of an abstract value space?

Nitsch, A., Garvert, M.M., Bellmund, J.L.S. et al. Grid-like entorhinal representation of an abstract value space during prospective decision makingNat Commun 15, 1198 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45127-z

Abstract
How valuable a choice option is often changes over time,

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How subfield-specific interneuron circuits govern the hippocampal response to novelty in male mice

Hainmueller, T., Cazala, A., Huang, LW. et al. Subfield-specific interneuron circuits govern the hippocampal response to novelty in male mice. Nat Commun 15, 714 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44882-3

Abstract
“The hippocampus is the brain’s center for episodic memories. Its subregions, the …

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How to implement distinct manifold encoding of navigational information in the subiculum and hippocampus?

Shinya Nakai, Takuma Kitanishi, Kenji Mizuseki. Distinct manifold encoding of navigational information in the subiculum and hippocampus. Science Advances, 10,eadi4471(2024).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adi4471

Abstract
The subiculum (SUB) plays a crucial role in spatial navigation and encodes navigational information differently from the

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How grid cells perform path integration in multiple reference frames during self-motion-based navigation?

Jing-Jie Peng, Beate Throm, Maryam Najafian Jazi, Ting-Yun Yen, Hannah Monyer, Kevin Allen. Grid cells perform path integration in multiple reference frames during self-motion-based navigation. bioRxiv 2023.12.21.572857; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.21.572857

Abstract
“With their periodic firing pattern, grid cells are considered

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How the activity of entorhinal cells is tied together over time at behaviourally relevant time scales, in the second-to-minute regime?

Soledad Gonzalo Cogno, Horst A. Obenhaus, Ane Lautrup, R. Irene Jacobsen, Claudia Clopath, Sebastian O. Andersson, Flavio Donato, May-Britt Moser & Edvard I. Moser. Minute-scale oscillatory sequences in medial entorhinal cortex. Nature (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06864-1

Abstract
The medial entorhinal

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How the vestibular system influences the generation and updating of the head direction signal?

Jalina A. Graham, Julie R. Dumont, Shawn S. Winter, Joel E. Brown, Patrick A. LaChance, Carly C. Amon, Kara B. Farnes, Ashlyn J. Morris, Nicholas A. Streltzov and Jeffrey S. Taube. Angular Head Velocity Cells within Brainstem Nuclei Projecting to

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How hippocampal assembly co-activity and temporally-compressed sequences are complementary codes that support associative and predictive aspects of memory?

Can Liu, Ralitsa Todorova, Wenbo Tang, Azahara Oliva, Antonio Fernandez-Ruiz. Associative and predictive hippocampal codes support memory-guided behaviors.Science 382,eadi8237(2023).DOI:10.1126/science.adi8237

Abstract
“Episodic memory involves learning and recalling associations between items and their spatiotemporal context. Those memories can be further used …

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Whether animals can intentionally control their hippocampal activity according to their model of the world

Chongxi Lai et al., Volitional activation of remote place representations with a hippocampal brain–machine interface. Science382,566-573(2023).DOI:10.1126/science.adh5206

Editor’s summary

“The hippocampus holds a model of the environment that can be mentally traversed during recall or simulation. …

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How hippocampal activity relates to spatial behaviour in dynamic and ethologically relevant group settings?

Forli, A., Yartsev, M.M. Hippocampal representation during collective spatial behaviour in batsNature (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06478-7

Abstract
Social animals live and move through spaces shaped by the presence, motion and sensory cues of multiple other individuals1,2,3,4,5,6. Neural activity

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How the hippocampus represents the temporal distance to different goals?

Alison Montagrin, Denise E. Croote, Maria Giulia Preti, Liron Lerman, Mark G. Baxter, Daniela Schiller. Hippocampal timestamp for goals
bioRxiv 2023.07.27.550892; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.27.550892

Abstract
Our brain must manage multiple goals that differ in their temporal proximity. Some …

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How Do Neural Networks Work for Navigation: From Connections to Computations?

Rachel I. Wilson. Neural Networks for Navigation: From Connections to Computations. Annual Review of Neuroscience Vol. 46:403-423 (Volume publication date July 2023) https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-110920-032645

Abstract
Many animals can navigate toward a goal they cannot see based on an internal

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How the Brain Learn the Vector Coding of Egocentric Boundary Cells from Visual Data?

Yanbo Lian, Simon Williams, Andrew S. Alexander, Michael E. Hasselmo, Anthony N. Burkitt. Learning the Vector Coding of Egocentric Boundary Cells from Visual Data. Journal of Neuroscience 12 July 2023, 43 (28) 5180-5190; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1071-22.2023

Abstract
The use

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How the cortical circuits integrate vestibular and visual cues for navigation, visual processing, and perception?

Sepiedeh Keshavarzi, Mateo Velez-Fort, and Troy W. Margrie. Cortical Integration of Vestibular and Visual Cues for Navigation, Visual Processing, and Perception. Annual Review of Neuroscience, Vol. 46:301-320, July 2023. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-120722-100503

Abstract
“Despite increasing evidence of its involvement in several …

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How rodent visual and spatial systems interact during navigation?

Saleem, A.B., Busse, L. Interactions between rodent visual and spatial systems during navigation. Nat Rev Neurosci (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-023-00716-7

Abstract
“Many behaviours that are critical for animals to survive and thrive rely on spatial navigation. Spatial navigation, in turn, relies

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How the hippocampus supports real-world navigation in humans?

Kathryn N. Graves, Ariadne Letrou, Tyler E. Gray, Imran H. Quraishi, Nicholas B. Turk-Browne. Hippocampal Codes for Real-World Human Navigation. bioRxiv 2023.06.22.545396; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.22.545396

Abstract
“As animals move through the world, the hippocampus represents their location, direction, and speed

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Are grid cells used for navigation? On local metrics, subjective spaces, and black holes

Ginosar, Gily, Johnatan Aljadeff, Liora Las, Dori Derdikman, and Nachum Ulanovsky. “Are grid cells used for navigation? On local metrics, subjective spaces, and black holes.” Neuron (2023).

Summary
“The symmetric, lattice-like spatial pattern of grid-cell activity is thought …

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How hippocampal CA1 neurons encode both world-centered spatial information and animals’ location relative to the local landmarks, with a common directional input presumably provided by the head direction cell system?

Yue-Qing Zhou, Vyash Puliyadi, Xiaojing Chen, Joonhee Leo Lee, Lan-Yuan Zhang, James J. Knierim. Conjunctive vector coding and place coding in hippocampus share a common directional signal. bioRxiv 2023.06.02.543340; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.02.543340

Abstract
Vector coding is becoming increasingly understood

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