The avoidance of unfavorable temperature is a fundamental behavior in the repertoire of all motile animals, from flatworms to whale sharks. Because temperature preference is both innate and species-specific, it is an ideal system to study how behavior emerges from the activity of the brain and how it evolves under selective pressure, allowing animals to colonize new environments. The primary focus of the Gallio Lab is the study of the molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying temperature sensing and preference in the fruit fly Drosophila. Our efforts have been directed towards following the full transformation of temperature stimuli: from detection at the periphery, to representation and processing in the brain, to the appearance of directed behavioral responses. Yet even when avoiding unfavorable temperature, flies are constantly exposed to additional sensory cues. If these stimuli also happen to be aversive, they may ultimately produce stronger responses (avoid/walk away). If they are attractive, a sensory conflict may emerge. One of our current objectives is to identify the brain circuits that process stimulus valence (attractive/aversive) across modalities. We are using olfaction and thermosensation to understand how stimuli of different nature but similar valence (unfavorable temperature and aversive odors) may be processed together to produce coherent responses, and -conversely- to understand how flies may be able to suppress innate avoidance of unfavorable temperatures when confronted with the possibility of a reward (attractive odors).