hydrophobic wings, and land on virtually any surface, wet or dry, at any angle. Hooks and setae on her feet can employ mechanical gripping or Van der Waals forces for the dry, and the insect can walk on water, due to her light weight, angle of contact and the flexible tarsi of her legs. Avoiding crashes, she will use her antennae to sense differences in pressure and velocity of the air around her and gauge when solid surfaces are near. Researchers in the UK and Japan have devised a system for surface detection by autonomous rotor vehicles based on this method that is cheaper than traditional sensing like radar. While we may revile the effects of the mosquito’s behavior, we must begrudgingly admit that this little insect is a champion at what she does, with a stunning array of compounding (and confounding) tools to get the job done. Understanding how she does these things so very well may not only stop her delivery of deadly disease to so many, but may improve our lives in a myriad of other ways. ⊗
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Zygote Quarterly 28 | vol 2 | 2020 | ISSN 1927-8314 | Pg 23 of 140