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News Release 09-045 - Video

When the wind blows, fruit flies stop. This defensive response got Caltech researchers thinking.

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When the wind blows, fruit flies stop. This innate defensive response got biologist David Anderson and his team at Caltech thinking. What neural circuitry underlies this defensive behavior? How is a fruit fly able to use the same organ on its antennae to process the feel of a gentle wind and the sound of a mate, and respond with the appropriate behavior?

Credit: Fly wrangling and camera: Suzuko Yorozu
Sound Editing: David Anderson
Music by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov "The Flight of the Bumblebee"

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