tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post1604300394646959285..comments2024-03-28T00:20:01.688-05:00Comments on Little Blog In The Big Woods: CIT claims to outsmart flies..Greenpahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17224906349154302210noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-85839754952555038712008-09-14T19:26:00.000-05:002008-09-14T19:26:00.000-05:00I find using both arms works as a strategy - I dis...I find using both arms works as a strategy - I distract the fly by making small movements with one hand and while it is watching that, I smack it with a newspaper. I get a pretty good strike rate;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-6924370869552106472008-09-05T09:13:00.000-05:002008-09-05T09:13:00.000-05:00Wow! I want his job.Wow! I want his job.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04642417312794814066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-35556683492100274402008-08-31T22:26:00.000-05:002008-08-31T22:26:00.000-05:00Gah, I hope this research wasn't federally funded!...Gah, I hope this research wasn't federally funded!<BR/><BR/>I agree with your fly swatting tips. If you charge at the fly, it'll almost always escape. (I guess that theoretically, you could just repeatedly do this until the fly becomes exhausted. It would probably take like half an hour- assuming that there's nowhere for the fly to hide. Y'know what? THAT would've been a much more interesting experiment - how much stamina do flies have?)<BR/><BR/>I learned about the relaxed/alert thing by watching my cat. She'd slowly approach and get within striking range, and then she'd wait... wait... and chomp!<BR/><BR/>One other thing- if flies are so fantastic at avoiding things, why do they fly right into my mouth when I'm running? It doesn't seem like a great survival strategy. Maybe they do it to avenge all the flies I've swatted...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-33594698965394179342008-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:002008-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:00I'm fairly sure that frogs and toads made the disc...I'm fairly sure that frogs and toads made the discoveries long ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-31151309967664214082008-08-29T07:03:00.000-05:002008-08-29T07:03:00.000-05:00Oh my! We are on a way to world fly domination!Oh my! We are on a way to world fly domination!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15334812243182354729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-7378115982175134932008-08-28T21:47:00.000-05:002008-08-28T21:47:00.000-05:00Years ago while spending some time with "the crapp...Years ago while spending some time with "the crappers" on a Wisconsin dairy farm, fly swatting could develop into an afternoon of scientific data gathering. We found that clapping your hands together above a resting fly was the most effective method. The fly would fly up to meet your hands and squish. Of course that was before I became aware of the alert/relaxed fly posture. So many, many things to learn. Definitely think Molly is onto something.WILDBLUESbysushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05721938956504857045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-70222502510601605042008-08-28T20:29:00.000-05:002008-08-28T20:29:00.000-05:00I vacuum flies when here are too many to swat. It ...I vacuum flies when here are too many to swat. It seems they haven't developed an evolutionary defense for this yet.EJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10547029683066393031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-82772751130759410892008-08-28T17:17:00.000-05:002008-08-28T17:17:00.000-05:00Molly- I love it! I think CIT wants you for a ten...Molly- I love it! I think CIT wants you for a tenure track position!<BR/><BR/>Anonymous- sure, all true. The big problem for me is when researchers start doing hard research at "square one" - when in fact the solid observations- of trained scientists- is already working at "square 25". Let's build on what we know, please- not claim we know nothing.Greenpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17224906349154302210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-20417281509166380602008-08-28T17:01:00.000-05:002008-08-28T17:01:00.000-05:00I agree that there is a percentage of scientific r...I agree that there is a percentage of scientific research that only proves the obvious. However, I also feel that testing a widely held belief is a valid scientific pursuit. How else prove that the earth is not the center of the solar system, nor is it flat, killing 99.9% of bacteria isn't a good thing, among the other commonly held misconceptions. There are a lot of things that people believe that just aren't correct. Not that they will change their minds due to an obscurely published, difficult to read scientific journal article, but it could make a difference. I guess my main problem is when these types of obvious truth studies do nothing to help the world situation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-67484731695895148132008-08-28T16:52:00.000-05:002008-08-28T16:52:00.000-05:00Haha, I love it! Maybe instead of building a bett...Haha, I love it! Maybe instead of building a better mousetrap, we just need a book/thesis to help us understand the behavior of household creatures. Or perhaps just a weekly blog feature?MissAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03316314478663714900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-69899666009382692842008-08-28T16:47:00.000-05:002008-08-28T16:47:00.000-05:00Who funds this research?? I have spent very littl...Who funds this research?? I have spent very little time swatting flies, but do enjoy catching them. As a child I could sneak up on them from behind and catch them in my hand. I always thought they jumped backwards and thats why they seemed so elusive.Tina Cardonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00549943329133396794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-32622391376566846532008-08-28T16:29:00.000-05:002008-08-28T16:29:00.000-05:00That is the funniest post! It's crazy how people ...That is the funniest post! It's crazy how people actually study these kinds of things. And crazier still, they waste tons of money doing it!Nancy M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00890420576437109817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703718837080088488.post-45622605967319996102008-08-28T16:20:00.000-05:002008-08-28T16:20:00.000-05:00Oh, my. Must've been a slow news day, no wars, no ...Oh, my. Must've been a slow news day, no wars, no foreclosures for the media to report.<BR/>I seem to remember learning in 4th grade that flies could see pretty much 360 degrees, which is why it's so hard to sneak up on them.<BR/>I've been doing a little scientific stuff myself the last couple of years, trying to breed a more intelligent fly. What I do is when there are flies buzzing around the windows I open the window for a couple of minutes. The smarter ones will fly outside. I close the window and kill the remaining ones. I'm hoping to eventually breed a race of flies that can find their own way out of my house.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com