Dust-covered flies reveal hidden logic of grooming behavior
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) —A dust-covered fly might spend more than 20 minutes removing the offending grit and grime from its body. With only its own legs to complete the chore, the fly needs a plan of attack. Thanks to a strategy hardwired into the insect's brain, most flies deal with the problem by performing a sequence of cleaning movements that begins with cleaning the head before progressing to lower-priority body parts.