Scientists have mapped the entire nervous system, or “connectome,” of a mammalian body for the first time. Scientists removed material from 16 mice’s bodies that would block light, such as fat and calcium, to make them as transparent as possible. Then, using a custom combined slicing tool and microscope, the scientists took images of the mice bodies. Seven of the mice were genetically modified to have fluorescent neurons. Four were immunostained to have proteins in the sympathetic nervous system with different colors. And in the last five, researchers used viruses to measure the full length of the axons of the nerve projections. Each vagus nerve fiber connected to only one organ in the gut, rather than branching to many different organs as some had predicted.

Why this matters: Rather than just homing in on the brain and spinal cord, which have historically been given more attention, researchers included the nerve fibers from the peripheral nervous system (PNS), too. This network of nerves lets mammals walk, controls eye movements, and sends alerts of pain. Mapping them out helps scientists understand how the nerves interact with organs and how the physiology of our nerves underlies disease, potentially inspiring treatments.

What the experts say: “By revealing the precise projection patterns and organ-specific targeting of different peripheral nerves, these maps will provide a structural framework for understanding how the PNS mediates body physiology,” says co-author of the study Guo-Qiang Bi, a biophysicist at the University of Science and Technology of China. —Andrea Tamayo, Newsletter Writer

Why it matters: Projections indicate that by 2030 the world will be producing 134 million tons of textile waste every year. In the U.S. alone, at least 17 million tons of textiles are discarded annually, which works out to about 100 pounds of clothes per person.

What can be done: Creating clothing takes many stages, from designing garments and processing the raw fibers, to yarn and textile creation and clothing distribution. At the end of this chain one of several things can happen. The vast majority of clothing ends up in landfills. But what if clothing production could resemble more of a circle than a line with a beginning and end? That is, instead of being trashed, what if clothes began a second life when they were discarded—either to be reused by someone else, or recycled as raw materials that reenter the production process? Read more in our in-depth article and accompanying infographics.