BiotechMashup

Researchers have obtained the first recordings of brain-cell activity in an actively flying fruit fly. The work suggests that at least part of the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) "is in a different and more sensitive state during flight than when the fly is quiescent," says a study author.

(The Company of Biologists) How well do flying fish fly? This is the question that puzzled Haecheon Choi from Seoul National University, Korea. Measuring aerodynamic forces on dried darkedged-wing flying fish in a wind tunnel, Choi and Hyungmin Park discovered that flying fish glide better than insects and as well as birds. The fish also derive an aerodynamic advantage from gliding close to the water's surface to cover distances as great as 400 meters.

Ever wondered why flies are attracted to beer? Entomologists have, and offer an explanation. They report that flies sense glycerol that yeasts make during fermentation. Specifically, they found that Gr64e, a receptor associated with neurons located in the fly's mouth-parts, is instrumental in signaling a good taste for beer. Once a fly has settled on beer, Gr64e detects glycerol and transmits this information to the fly's neurons, thus influencing the fly's behavior.

How well do flying fish fly? This is the question that puzzled researchers in South Korea. Measuring aerodynamic forces on dried darkedged-wing flying fish in a wind tunnel, they discovered that flying fish glide better than insects and as well as birds. The fish also derive an aerodynamic advantage from gliding close to the water's surface to cover distances as great as 400 meters.

A new design of micro air vehicle (MAV) will be able to flap, glide and hover. Researchers have been inspired by birds to design a MAV that combines flapping wings, which will allow it to fly at slow speeds and hover, with the ability to glide, ensuring good quality images from any on-board camera.

(California Institute of Technology) Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have obtained the first recordings of brain-cell activity in an actively flying fruit fly. The work suggests that at least part of the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) "is in a different and more sensitive state during flight than when the fly is quiescent," says study author Michael Dickinson.

To understand how a fly's tiny brain processes visual information efficiently enough to guide its aerobatic feats -- and ultimately to build more capable robots -- researchers have set up a flight simulator for flies.

(The Company of Biologists) Birds don't always fly over obstacles; sometimes they run over while flapping their wings. Intrigued by this behavior, scientists from the University of Montana, USA, measured how much energy flap running birds use compared to their flying counterparts and found that it is less than 10 percent. They suspect that chicks could flap run to build up muscles before their maiden flight and that flap running could have been a key stage in evolution of flight.

Engineers have created a millionth-scale automobile differential to govern the flight of minuscule aerial robots that could someday be used to probe environmental hazards, forest fires, and other places too perilous for people. Their new approach is the first to passively balance the aerodynamic forces encountered by these miniature flying devices, letting their wings flap asymmetrically in response to gusts of wind, wing damage, and other real-world impediments.