Hasta La Gadget!

A recent study by Imperial College London and Florida International University challenges the commonly held belief that “bugs are attracted to artificial light because they mistake it for moonlight” — the biologists behind the study suggest that the bugs’ behavior might be the result of interference with their brain function; instead of flying directly towards the light, insects are found to be drawn towards it from the opposite direction, flying towards it with their butts rather than their heads. This behavior can cause the insects to become trapped in frenzied holding patterns, when they collide with artificial lights.

The researchers used high-resolution motion capture and stereo-videography to observe butterflies, dragonflies, and moths in a laboratory setting. This approach allowed them to study the insects’ movements in detail and determine how they reacted to different types of artificial light. Their findings showed that bugs were less likely to be affected by downward-facing lights, which suggests that these lights could be an effective way to reduce the number of insects drawn to artificial light sources.

A group of termite queen flying at the bright lights at night.

The study’s findings have far-reaching implications for both scientists and the public; by challenging long-standing assumptions about insect behavior, this research could help to prevent unintended harm to insect populations caused by artificial lighting. The study’s lead author, Dr. Barrett Klein, has called for a shift in how we design outdoor lighting to avoid negative effects on wildlife.

It also sheds a light on the complex relationship between insects and light — while it’s clear that artificial lighting can disrupt their behavior, it’s also worth noting that insects have evolved to use light in a variety of ways, for example, some species of fireflies use their bioluminescence to attract mates, while others use light to navigate during migration. By understanding how artificial light affects different insect species, researchers can begin to develop more targeted strategies to protect vulnerable populations.

Altogether, this study demonstrates the importance of taking a nuanced approach to understanding the natural world. Although it’s tempting to rely on simple explanations for complex phenomena, science is rarely so straightforward. We can indeed improve our knowledge of the world and create better methods for safeguarding it by persistently questioning our beliefs and conducting thorough experiments to gather information.

Scientists find new explanation for why bugs fly into lights

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Researchers from Linköping University and Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology have created what they call “the world’s first transistor made out of wood”, a move that could lead to the development of eco-friendly wood-based electronics and even the control of electronic plants. They used balsa wood treated with a conductive plastic polymer to create the wooden transistor — while the resulting device is at least as much plastic as it is wood, it is an important breakthrough because it is the first time that a functional electronic device has been built using wood as its base material.

The wooden transistor was not created with any specific application in mind, but rather to show that it was possible. It is admittedly large and slow compared to modern silicon transistors, taking about 5 seconds to activate and another second to deactivate. Despite these drawbacks, the researchers believe that the concept has practical applications, including the regulation of “electronic plants” and use in higher-current applications for which organic transistors are not well-suited.

The transistor is a fundamental building block of modern electronics, allowing the control of the flow of electrons in a circuit. The first one was patented in 1925 by physicist Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, but it was not until 1947 and 1948 that the transistor was practically produced by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley at AT&T’s Bell Labs. Transistors replaced the thermionic triode vacuum tube, making electronics smaller, lighter, and more reliable. Since then, the transistor has been miniaturized to the point where a single integrated circuit can contain billions of them.

The wooden transistor functions similarly to Bell Labs’ prototypes, but it is made from balsa wood with its lignin removed and the remaining hollow channels filled with conductive plastic polymer. This combination allows it to conduct electricity and function continuously, unlike previous attempts at wooden electronics. The researchers’ work is supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation via the Wallenberg Wood Science Center and has been published in the journal PNAS under open-access terms.

While the wooden transistor has limitations, it is an important step in the development of eco-friendly electronics; with further research and development, the concept could lead to the creation of wood-based electronic devices that are more environmentally sustainable than their plastic and silicon counterparts — additionally, the wooden transistor could be used to regulate the growth of plants with electronic sensors, which would have important applications in agriculture and environmental monitoring.

World’s First Wooden Transistor Developed for Controlling Electronic Plants

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