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Why is it so hard to swat a fly?

Anyone who has wasted time trying to bat this buzzing bug would swear it had powers of teleportation, as it magically disappears at the moment of impact before reappearing an instant later over the potato salad. The good news is flies don’t have superpowers. They’re just aces at flying and have reflexes faster than any fighter pilot’s. How fast? In less than a 100th of a second – or a 50th of the time it takes to blink – a fly can detect an incoming threat from any direction (thanks to large eyes designed to detect movement), perform a roll to change direction, and zip away at full throttle. Scientists credit the flies’ amazing reaction time to a special neuron – or brain cell – running from the bugs’ itty-bitty brains to their muscles. It’s like they have an instant connection between their eyes and their wings.

 

Picture Credit : Google

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