SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Fly's Brain 'Senses Swat Threat'
from the BBC News Online
Researchers in the US say that they have solved the mystery of why flies are so hard to swat. They think the fly's ability to dodge being hit is due to its fast acting brain and an ability to plan ahead.
High speed, high resolution video recordings revealed the insects quickly work out where a threat is coming from and prepare an escape route.
The research suggests that the best way of swatting a fly is to creep up slowly and aim ahead of its location. The study has been published in the journal Current Biology.
Read more...
Click here to listen to podcasts of American Scientist Pizza Lunches, informal lectures where scientists present new research to non-scientists. Originally intended for science communicators in the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina, the audio slideshows are now available to anyone online. New talks are posted periodically during the academic year.
Science in the Media
Newspapers:
Magazines and Web Sites:
The Science-Media Intersection:
Subscribe to Our Content!
Visit our RSS Feeds page to choose among 13 customized feeds, or create a free My AmSci account to request an email notice whenever a specified author, department or discipline appears online.