Scientists use tiny trackers, plane to follow moths on move

In this undated image provided by the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, after tagging, moths are released in Konstanz, Germany, and followed in a light aircraft for up to 80 kilometers into the Alps. Scientists in Germany attached tiny trackers to giant moths looking for clues about insect migration. — Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior via AP

NEW YORK: Trillions of insects migrate across the globe each year, yet little is known about their journeys. So to look for clues, scientists in Germany took to the skies, placing tiny trackers on the backs of giant moths and following them by plane.

To the researchers’ surprise, the moths seemed to have a strong sense of where they were going. Even when the winds changed, the insects stayed on a straight course, the scientists reported in a study published Aug 11 in the journal Science.