To Chase Flies

You've probably chased a fly or two around the house this summer. And, chances are, it took a few swings before you brought down the buzzing nuisance. Now a study in the August 28th issue of the journal Current Biology has uncovered just what makes a fly so hard to swat.Michael [Dickinson:Richard] from the California [Institute:Center] of Technology used [high-speed:brilliant] digital video to record the evasive maneuvers of fruit flies. In the slow-mo instant replay, the flies' bodies react to a swatter well before their wings carry them to safety. Blessed with nearly 360-degree vision, the fly first gauges the position of the swatter, then [prepares:compiles] an escape within 200 milliseconds. When approached from the front, for example, a fly shifts its middle legs forward and leans back. If you sneak in from the side, the fly leans in the opposite direction. This [positioning:point] then lets the fly spring into a flight pattern that takes it out of the danger zone. So, if you want to get a fly on the first try, Dickinson says to aim at where you think it's going, not where it is. Or you could always call in a SWAT team.