Ever since man learned to light a fire, the common perception has been that insects are attracted to it, and to every light source we have developed after it - either because they are attracted to the light itself or to the heat emitted by the light source.
But new research reveals that this behavior has more to do with confusion than attraction.
We used Claude to draw you into the details.
In a study published Tuesday (Tuesday) in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers from Imperial College London, the International University of Florida and the Council for International Educational Cooperation in Costa Rica, used motion tracking sensors and advanced cameras to take close-up and slow-motion pictures of how insects fly around lights.
Analyzing the results, they discovered that the insects do not fly directly to the light sources, but point their backs towards them.
The explanation for this is quite obvious: it is a logical and natural behavior to use the sunlight to navigate - as long as the back is turned to it, the face is more or less facing the ground.
But around artificial light sources it causes it to fly in confused circles in an attempt to maintain the flight path compared to the direction of the "sun", without the ability to orient itself.
Some of the insects even flip over and crash at some point.
The scientists concluded that the light sources disrupt the innate navigational systems that insects rely on to know which way is up.
This research shows that the relationship between insects and light is different than we thought, and that it is necessary to understand the interrelationships between human actions and their consequences on the environment.
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