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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 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by ThisIsAManWhoKnowsHowToGling@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/science@lemmy.world
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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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[-] ThisIsAManWhoKnowsHowToGling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 9 months ago

The previous (barely tested) model was that they were actively trying to fly to the light. Previous research tested what qualities of the light caused the behavior, but there was very little research into what exactly was going on in their tiny bug brains that made them do that.

[-] sping@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 9 months ago

they were actively trying to fly to the light

I can't see how that could make sense. They'd all just fly straight up at the moon. You can see them all flying in circles around lights.

this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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