In field experiments in Costa Rica, researchers used high-speed infrared cameras to track insect flight around artificial lights. When insects flew over a light source, they routinely turned on an axis and dove toward the ground (shown). These insects kept their backs to the light, even if they crashed. Other insects flew in circles around the light or flew up in a steep climb, losing speed until they couldn’t fly any higher. The observations suggest that artificial light messes with how insects orient themselves to the ground.
Read more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/insects-artificial-light-moth-direction-pollution
Video: S.T. Fabian et al/Nature Communications 2024
See what happens when insects fly near an artificial light | Science News
