I was listening to NPR today, and they had a story about a man who is doing research on flies…yes, the common fly. Specifically, he is photographing them with very high speed cameras that catch them in very slow motion.
The researcher (Michael Dickinson) said that the fly might well be the “most sophisticated flying device on the planet.” Think of it, folks. The common housefly has been relegated to the top tier of flying devices, and may in fact be right at the top.
Listen to what NPR says that Mr. Dickinson told them about how a fly perceives a threat and escapes out of its way. “What's remarkable about this body position is how fast it happens. In less than a 10th of a second, the fly has to perceive the threat using its eyes, determine what direction it's coming from, and then make the appropriate movement with its legs so it jumps in the right direction. And all this is accomplished by a brain that's the size of a poppy seed.”
High speed videos of the fly taking off from threats coming at it from various angles are at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94070264
Of course, we could get into the evolution/natural selection debate again with this information. Or we could just marvel at the creation and give praise to the One who made it all…even flies.
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