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FOR KIDS: Skeeters ride the rain
Mosquitoes survive collisions with raindrops by going with the flow
Web edition: June 28, 2012
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To a mosquito, colliding with a raindrop is like being hit by a bus. But scientists now find that skeeters fare well if they hitch a ride on that raindrop.
Courtesy T. Nowack, A. Dickerson and D. Hu/Ga. Tech
You may barely notice when a raindrop lands on your head. But if you were a mosquito, you’d definitely notice: It would be like a bus falling onto you in midair.
But a falling raindrop doesn’t spell doom for the plucky mosquito, say scientists behind a new study. The pesky bloodsucker might get tossed, rocked and rolled, but its strong body and small size help it survive such collisions. And when a raindrop lands directly on the bug’s back, the mosquito gets taken on a wild ride.
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Citations
S. Milius. How a mosquito survives a raindrop hit. Science News Online, June 4, 2012. [Go to]
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