Mosquitoes also can fly in the rain

Spectacular video from "Can mosquitoes fly in the rain?" authored by Andrew Dickerson, Peter Shankles, Nihar Madhavan, and David Hu (ArXiv 13 Oct 2011)
http://arxiv.org/abs/1110.3051

Abstract: Collisions with raindrops are one of many obstacles insects face during flight. In this fluid dynamics video, we present a series of high-speed films of impacts between mosquitoes and raindrops. We also present drop impacts upon insect mimics, which are unsupported styrofoam balls of the same mass as mosquitoes. High-speed videography and particle tracking during collision are employed to determine the insect position versus time. We determine the magnitude of acceleration by considering the momentum transfer and impact duration. Experiments with live mosquitoes indicate a surprising ability to quickly recover flight post-collision, despite accelerations of 30-300 gravities over durations of 1 ms.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[THE1pharaoh]

thumbs up if you checked if your volume was working :)

[sodapo461]

Who cares kill the little bastards!!

[jceiras]

More like anti-creationism.

[DesertstormPT]

Semanthics nazi?

[DesertstormPT]

300G!!!! WTF!

[Ray14508]

it's amazing how complex this study is yet they can't spell "lose" correctly

[johnnyrckt]

That's because they're having sex in the puddles.

[JERKMONKEYYEH]

(mosquito out in the rain)

mosquito: pshh, not a problem

(starts hailing )

shit...

[1xura]

but when its raining theres not so much mosquitos, thats why i like when it rains =)

[w0merc]

"eusured the survavability against others that didn't" erm, sorry no. Not "against" those that didn't, but compared to.

[magokorotoyou]

おもしろいね♪

[jceiras]

"Insects are designed to be hydrophobic" erm, sorry no. They aren't designed. Many insects developed these traits over millennia because it is what ensured the survivability against others that didn't.