Contemplating the coming of the drones

Biologist Ty Hedrick films the aerial gymnastics of cliff swallows and other acrobatic fliers. His studies, as freelance writer Nsikan Akpan describes in “Flying animals can teach drones a thing or two,” reveal the wonders that some avian standouts are capable of — from handling more than 7 g’s on a sharp turn to soaring at speeds up to 56.2