Truemors
This research on how best to swat a fly comes up with the revealation that its best to anticipate "where it's going to jump" when it see's you coming for it. This could be applied to political opponents too - Obama and McCain should be anticipating where each other will move to if attacked from where they think they are going to be attacked and attack the other from there instead. Flies and politicians have much in common and the most proficient of them despite their sometimes feeding on the real and metaphorical excrement of society for sustenance seem to have eyes in the back of their head that always keep them one jump away from the 'swat'. Watch out - no one can avoid the big swat when it comes - the ballot box!
It is a frustrating experience familiar to us all: an irritating, buzzing housefly that easily avoids our best attempts to swat it.
The perfect swatting strategy, however, has now been revealed by scientists who have identified why the insects are so good at evading rolled-up newspapers - and how they might be outwitted.
The right approach is to aim not at the insects themselves because they are extraordinarily good at anticipating where exactly your blow will land. “It is best to aim a bit forward of the fly's starting position, to anticipate where it is going to jump when it first sees your swatter,” said Michael Dickinson, of the California Institute of Technology, who led the study.
In the research, published in the journal Current Biology, Dr Dickinson's team used high-resolution, high-speed imaging technology to examine how flies move to avoid impending threats. Instead of just taking off when they see an object hurtling towards them, the insects carefully plan an escape in milliseconds. A fraction of a second before a fly springs into the air, it will alter its body position so that it is properly prepared to jump in the right direction.
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