Engineer turns fruit fly brain sim into a crypto day trader

An engineer at Coinbase has turned a simulated fruit fly brain into a crypto day trader using a project called Stonkfly, now available as an open-source download on GitHub. The simulation uses a detailed model of a male fruit fly brain with 166,700 neurons and over 25 million connections, feeding candlestick chart visuals directly into the fly’s photoreceptors. The virtual fly can buy, sell, or hold various currencies and receives dopamine-like reinforcement when its portfolio grows, while losses trigger aversive signals. Although the fly trades only small amounts and cannot use leverage or short positions, the project demonstrates how neural simulations can respond to visual financial data. The engineer emphasizes that the experiment does not prove real trading skill, especially in a rising crypto market where any buyer can appear successful. Stonkfly runs on macOS or Linux with 16 GB RAM and uses real BTC-to-USDC data, with optional setup for live trading. The project highlights both the creativity and absurdity of combining biological simulations with financial markets.

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