Smelling Wind: Insects Teach Efficient Tracking Techniques

摘要

Over the millennia, male moths have developed what appears to be a counter-intuitive, but very efficient, strategy for locating the telltale plume of pheromones emitted by females. Atmospheric scientists and meteorologists may do well to learn from the wisdom of evolution. According to two entomologists studying the behavior of gypsy moths, drones searching out an odor plume in the wind are better off setting a random course rather than heading down-wind from the get go.