In Part 3, Dickinson discusses how insects control flight. Insects have many sensors on their bodies and wings that detect odors, the polarization of light, body rotation, air movement, and more. All of this sensory information is taken in and integrated by the insect’s brain. The brain then regulates muscle function to perform the behaviors needed for the fly to survive in its natural environment. Dickinson and his colleagues have built “arenas” in which a fly can be tethered and visual cues can be used to make the fly think it is flying in a specific direction with a certain speed, or being attacked by a predator. Using high speed video, it is possible to measure the flies response to these visual cues. Amazingly, within 20 milliseconds of detecting a predator, a fly can integrate its response so that it completely changes flight direction and flies away from the perceived predator.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
How Flies Fly
Have you ever wondered how a flying insect can so successfully evade your efforts to catch it? In these three videos, Dr. Michael Dickinson combines aerodynamics, muscle physiology and neuroscience to explain how flies fly. (Talk recorded in November 2019)
- Part 1: How Flies Fly: LiftAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:28:15 - Part 2: How Flies Fly: PowerAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:25:44 - Part 3: How Flies Fly: ControlAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:38:20