Turns out moths are pretty good at operating small robotic vehicles.
posted by prize bull octorok on May 9, 2013 - 17 comments

Macroglossum stellatarum, known as the Hummingbird Hawk-moth or sometimes the Hummingmoth, is a species of Sphingidae (the family of moths that includes hawk moths, sphinx moths, and hornworms), and a beautiful example of convergent evolution.
posted by ocherdraco on Feb 27, 2013 - 38 comments

Loom. (SLVimeo) (Youtube version) (Arachnophobes should definitely skip this one.) (Via)
posted by zarq on May 26, 2011 - 14 comments

Moth trails. Long exposure shots of moths at night, twirling around lights. Elsewhere, in video form.
posted by Sticherbeast on Feb 10, 2010 - 29 comments

Michael Cook likes to play with wormspit. And to share his interest in sericulture he's created a site devoted to the raising of silkworms, including the Cecropia, North America's largest moth. Not to be confused with the Hawk Moth, another very large moth, Cecropias are members of the Saturniinae family. Saturniid adults have vestigial mouth parts and no digestive system so they usually live no more than a week. So perhaps it’s best to get down to business right out of the cocoon. (SFW Moth Porn) [more inside]
posted by Toekneesan on Feb 20, 2008 - 5 comments

In research that may one day help restore mobility to the paralyzed and amputees, Dr. Charles Higgins of the University of Arizona has created a "robo-moth": a 6-inch tall wheeled robot guided by an electrode inserted into a single neuron responsible for vision stability during flight in the hawk moth (aka the Tobacco hornworm). [more inside]
posted by mayfly wake on Nov 20, 2007 - 7 comments

The world’s weirdest moths l Moths that drink the tears of sleeping birds l Awesome moth camouflage l Buff Tip moth l moths magnified l Jim des Rivières' moth portraits [more inside]
posted by nickyskye on Oct 21, 2007 - 39 comments