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The Conversation USA

Synchrony with chaos – blinking lights of a firefly swarm embody in nature what mathematics predicted

  • Written by Raphael Sarfati, Postdoctoral Associate, University of Colorado Boulder
imageFireflies' synchronized light shows have fascinated observers for ages.Raphael Sarfati, CC BY-ND

Imagine an old-growth forest in the fading light of a summer evening. As the last of the sun’s rays disappear beneath the horizon, a tiny flash catches your eye.

You turn around, hold your breath; it blinks again, hovering 2 feet above the leaf...

Read more: Synchrony with chaos – blinking lights of a firefly swarm embody in nature what mathematics...

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