Lemmy.World

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The World's Internet Frontpage Lemmy.World is a general-purpose Lemmy instance of various topics, for the entire world to use.

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The bugs around the streetlight are being tricked to think they are going in a straight line. They are doing the aerial equivalent of an ant death spiral. (www.nature.com)
submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/science
19 comments fedilink
 
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/14539407

breaking news: light pollution sends bugs to hell

Preexisting research into bugs circling lights was mainly to see what properties of the lights attracted the bugs, which is how we know that certain LED lights can prevent the bugs from flying towards it.

This study, however, showed that the bugs aren't trying to get to the light at all. The light triggers their dorsal reflex, causing them to recalibrate their sense of direction to keep the light at a fixed angle from their perspective. The bugs think they are going in a straight line, forever, and they never get to where they are going.

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breaking news: light pollution is purgatory for bugs (www.nature.com)
 
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/14456401

breaking news: light pollution sends bugs to hell

Preexisting research into bugs circling lights was mainly to see what properties of the lights attracted the bugs, which is how we know that certain LED lights can prevent the bugs from flying towards it.

This study, however, showed that the bugs aren't trying to get to the light at all. The light triggers their dorsal reflex, causing them to recalibrate their sense of direction to keep the light at a fixed angle from their perspective. The bugs think they are going in a straight line, forever, and they never get to where they are going.

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Scientists explain the desire of insects for artificial light - It is likely that point light sources in the dark disrupt their orientation in space, but not navigation (www.nature.com)
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