Goldfish Learn To Drive

How these tiny beetles are such superb fliers 
allow the wings to have the flapping power of wings made of 
membranes, like those of a housefly, but for a lot less mass.
“The bristled wing rows almost as well [as membranous 
wings] without letting much air through,” Polilov says. Video 
recordings of some other featherwing beetles reveal a similar 
flying style. 
The beetles’ ancestors were larger than their modern 
kin. So the new findings give insights into how insects can 
retain important athletic abilities as they scale down in 
size. — Jake Buehler
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200 µm
Body
Wing case
Wing
Watch a video of a featherwing beetle in flight at bit.ly/SN_BeetleFlight
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