[Public Domain] 27 May 2005 Dylan O'Donnell
CATEGORY : Manmade
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Taken at dusk, a light on the riverside reveals the faint shadows for generations of phototropic insects who have lived and died in its twilight. Many theories persist regarding this phenomena including that insects follow the path of the moonlight for evolved migratory reasons, or that light simply dazzles them. To further confuse the issue, male insects are often more phototropic than females, although the former theory regarding moonlight is currently accepted as fact with some studies showing that moths will correct their flight-paths hourly to compensate for lunar bearing as the moon travels across the night sky. In any case, introduced lighting at night by homo sapien, has contributed to the reduction and extinction of various insect species and further research continues into the ways in which this behavior can be understood.
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