10 Simple Questions We Have No Answer For

3. Why are moths drawn to light?

 

Photo by Unzhakov from shutterstock.com

I am sure that you noticed at least once in your life that moths seem to mindlessly flock to light and run into it. But the reason behind these insects’ strange behavior still remains a total scientific mystery.

Related Post

Some entomologists think that artificial light sources throw off the moths’ internal navigation systems. They are primarily nocturnal creatures, so they evolved to travel by the glimmer of the mood, exactly by a method which is known as transverse orientation. According to Jeff Smith, curator of the moth collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, transverse orientation is to moths just as to humans is  keeping the North star in a certain position for guidance. It is thought that these insects keep the light source at a certain position in relation to their bodies for guidance.

But there are a few problems with this theory. The most major being that campfires have been around for about 400,000 years, so why didn’t all moths die already by natural selection if their instinct tells them to go into any blinding light?

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

View Comments

  • In order to HAVE time you need at least two objects that are not like each other in any manner. In the situation where that does exist movement of one relative to the other is time. We have that situation.

Recent Posts

How Covid-19 Has Changed Through The Years

What can we say now? We are all tired of reading about SARS-CoV-2. We are sick of hearing about this…

Celebrities Who Are Doing Something About Climate Change

I am sure that almost everyone knows about climate change. We have heard about it on the news, on the…

What We Know & Don’t Know About The Omicron Variant

Covid-19 doesn't seem to want to leave. Another variant of this virus has emerged, and with it comes a lot…

How To Choose The Best Vaccine For Your Booster Shot

The Delta variant is not the main subject on the news anymore. That is because it was dethroned by another…

Parts Of Your Body That Are Sold For Profit

Money, money, money! We all need it, and we are all thinking of different ways we can make more of…

6 Accidents That Led To Big Scientific Breakthroughs

Miscalculating or omitting details or numbers in the lab can lead to serious damage for a research group. Add the…