THE technique honeybees use to touch down smoothly could be an ideal way to
control pilotless planes as they land, say Australian scientists.
A team led by Mandyam Srinivasan of the Australian National University in
Canberra monitored the flight paths of six bees as they made over 100 landings
on a flat surface. They found that, as they descended, the bees’ flying speed
was always proportional to their height—and this gave them the clue to the
simple trick they were using to land safely.
As you travel along, the closer an object is, the faster it seems to pass.…
