🔬 Science 1d ago · Jennifer Ouellette

What butterfly wings have in common with barbershop poles

Ars Technica Science
Ars Technica science
View Channel →
What butterfly wings have in common with barbershop poles
Source ↗ 👁 0 💬 0
Old-fashioned striped barbershop poles turn in place on a vertical axis, but humans typically perceive the stripes moving upward rather than turning with the pole. It's a well-known visual illusion arising from processing biases in human vision. According to a new paper published in the journal Nature, a similar effect could explain how butterflies often evade predatory birds: Their flight patterns and wing patterns combine to make it hard for predators to accurately gauge speed and direction.
"

Comments (0)

Sign in to join the discussion

More Like This

Man in Singapore faces 10 years in jail for AI crocodile image
Popular Science · 2h ago
Ukraine rolls out drone-stopping razor fence to thwart attacks
New Scientist · 2h ago
Demon Star and Witch’s Head kick off spooky space season
Popular Science · 2h ago
Elephants imitate each other when they produce deep rumbling sounds
New Scientist · 3h ago
Placenta wrap hastens erection recovery after prostate surgery
New Scientist · 4h ago
The best popular-science books of October 2026
New Scientist · 5h ago