Moth to flame? More like… suns out, buns out!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Picture this: it’s a warm summer night. You flip on the porch light – and in swarm the bugs! Scientists have long wondered why are flying insects drawn to artificial lights.
Until now! Enter Samuel Fabian and team from Imperial College London. They tracked 3D flight paths of insects. Turns out, bugs aren’t HEADING to the light. They’re tipping their butts toward it! WHUH?!
This built-in reflex is called the dorsal light response. It keeps them upright by turning their backs to the sun. But near porch lights, it sends them spiraling, stalling, or nosediving.
So buggies… straighten up, fly right, and shake what your mama gave you!
Reference: Fabian, S.T., Sondhi, Y., Allen, P.E., et al. (2024). Why flying insects gather at artificial light. Nature Communications, 15, 689. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44785-3