Are Flies Getting Smarter?
WouterA new study aims to determine whether flies are getting smarter. It was conducted by Andrew Jackson, an associate professor at Trinity College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Scientists studied the flicker fusion rates of various species of flies. They found that the fastest flies recorded distinct responses to flickering light 400 times per second, which is about six times faster than the average fly.
This study shows that fruit flies are capable of a higher form of trace conditioning that mimics the behavior of mammals. Fruit flies also have similar neural activity patterns to mammals. The study also found that flies can make difficult decisions by taking longer to process information. The results were surprising to scientists who thought that these processes were reserved for highly evolved species.
The researchers found that fruit flies can learn to anticipate threats in their environment. This behavior is related to the fact that they can control their impulses. The study also showed that flies can learn to distinguish between different kinds of threats. This ability is essential for identifying threats and avoiding them.
This evolution of vision is another factor in flies’ ability to fly. Humans can perceive light and motion, but flies’ eyes pick up light mechanically. The eyes of vertebrates, on the other hand, contain long tubes of cells that face the light and react to it with chemicals. Because of this, fly eyes are more sensitive and respond to light faster than vertebrates.
