Insects and animals have impressive navigational abilities that scientists are trying to understand and replicate. Fruit flies use patterns of polarized light to navigate, while ants use the sun and polarized light to find their way. Birds use external cues like the magnetic field and stars to navigate, and even dung beetles can use the Milky Way to find their direction. Researchers are studying these abilities to develop new navigation systems for drones and robots, which could lead to more efficient and safe delivery systems. Additionally, the navigational abilities of dogs, who use their sense of smell to find their way, could also be used to design scent-guided drones.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Fruit flies use patterns of polarized light to navigate.
2. Fruit flies lose their sense of direction when covered with a special filter that blocks polarized light.
3. The structure of the human eye doesn't allow us to see polarized light like insects do.
4. Insects, including ants, use polarized light to navigate.
5. In the 1920s, Swiss entomologist Felix Sanchi performed experiments that showed ants can use the sun to find their way back to their colony.
6. When the sun is blocked, ants can use a reflected patch of blue sky to navigate.
7. Monarch butterflies and locusts stay on the right course while migrating across entire continents.
8. Bees have no problem finding their way to their colony even if they end up several hundred feet away from it.
9. Scientists have run experiments that show ants use polarized light to navigate.
10. Researchers have created a robot that mimics the flight of a fruit fly, with four wings flapping 17 beats per second.
11. The robotic fly can fly at about 15 miles an hour and perform various air stunts.
12. Birds use external cues like magnetic fields and stars to navigate during migration.
13. Reed warblers use the stars to navigate during their migration from Europe to Africa.
14. Scientists have performed experiments that show reed warblers rely on the stars to find their way.
15. Dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate.
16. Dung beetles can get confused by bright lights in cities.
17. Humans are threatening wildlife by disrupting their navigation abilities with bright lights.
18. Some seabirds, like the white tern, fly out to sea every morning to fish and return to land at night.
19. People on the islands of Polynesia have used these birds to navigate.
20. Travelers have used frigate birds to find the direction of land.
21. Dogs have a good sense of smell that helps them find their way home.
22. Dogs can smell familiar scents, like other dogs or objects, to find their way home.
23. Researchers are exploring the possibility of using canine skills to design scent-guided drones.