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Insects flocking to artificial lights may not know which way is up

New high-speed video suggests efforts to keep their backs to the light leads to erratic flight

Multiple images of a yellow brimstone butterfly are shown via motion capture. The insect is flying in circles, with its back pointing toward an illuminated tube light inside a flight arena at Imperial College London.

A brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni), shown in multiple locations using motion capture, tries to keep its back toward a tube light as it orbits it inside a laboratory at Imperial College London. This abnormal flight behavior around artificial light may make the insect lose its sense of direction.

Thomas Angus

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

The insects flying in circles around your porch light aren’t captivated by the light.