Mechanism Discovered For Wind Detection In Fruit Flies' Antennae
Monday, March 16, 2009 - 07:21
in Biology & Nature
Tiny, lightweight fruit flies need to know when it's windy out so they can steady themselves and avoid being knocked off their feet or blown off course. But how do they figure out that it's time to hunker down? Scientists have discovered that the flies have evolved a specialized population of neurons in their antennae that let them know not only when the wind is blowing, but also the direction from which it is coming.