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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 10 months ago* (last edited 10 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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[-] sping 3 points 10 months ago

Really I always thought, and I don't assume it was my original thought, that they probably were used to keeping the moon at a fixed relative position and they did the same with artificial light.

This is the first time I've heard any suggestion of being attracted directly towards the light. How would that make sense? They'd just fly straight at the moon on a clear night.

this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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