Flies can turn off their immune response

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 4 months (biology.plosjournals.org)

After a role in initiating an NF-mediated innate immune response to microbial challenge, AP-1 and STAT act to form part of a repressosome to down-regulate the transcription of antimicrobial peptides and thus to resolve the immune response.

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What determines the speed at which birds fly?

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.eurekalert.org)

Measurement of flight speeds of 138 species of bird reveals that mass and wing loading do not scale according to aerodynamic theory but vary significantly depending on phylogeny.

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Order in spontaneous behavior

Superglue and Robot Helicopter Teach Tricks of Insect Flight

humane-wolf submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.sciam.com)

Moths are able to hover serenely because their antennae act like tiny gyroscopes, report researchers who let the insects fly after cutting off their antennae and supergluing them back on. In a second study, another team built a small robocopter to test a theory of insect flight. The robot reproduced insect behaviors such as angling down in a headwind and crashing over featureless terrain, which may explain reports that bees have drowned while skimming mirror-still water.

To hover without crashing, an insect must be able to compensate for drift caused, a cross breeze or a mistimed wing flap

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