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morrowasted
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WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings 1
#19110135 - 11/09/13 12:09 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-amazing-fruit-fly-evolved-to-have-pictures-of-ants-1461247226
This amazing fruit fly evolved to have pictures of ants on its wings


Quote:
This is unbelievable, but the fruit fly G tridens has somehow evolved to have what looks like pictures of ants on its wings. Seriously, its transparent wings have an ant design on them complete with "six legs, two antennae, a head, thorax and tapered abdomen." It's nature's evolutionary art painted on a fly's wings.
Recently spotted by the New York Times, the fruit fly is just incredible. Other flies in its family of 5,000 species have other type of markings on its wings but it's the G tridens that has something so intricate and so specific.
The idea of the ant design, as explained to The National by Dr Brigitte Howarth of Zayed University who first discovered G tridens in the UAE, is that these flies use their wings to ward off predators. The fly flashes it wings back and forth to make it seem as if the ants are moving around and that movement would confuse the predator. Nature's version of a tattoo, I guess.
The only part of the article I really agree with are the first three words. It's hard to comprehend how natural selection can cause generations to keep small characteristics adding up to something so specific as this. Mellowparty/badchad, care to explain?
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Niffla



Registered: 06/09/08
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted] 1
#19110158 - 11/09/13 12:16 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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dude that shit CRAY
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WindSearcher
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted]
#19110159 - 11/09/13 12:17 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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fruit flies do evolve fast
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Shroomopotamus
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted]
#19110161 - 11/09/13 12:17 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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dude what
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Mad_Larkin

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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: Shroomopotamus] 4
#19110178 - 11/09/13 12:24 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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omg is there a god
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badchad
Mad Scientist

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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted] 2
#19110190 - 11/09/13 12:28 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Not much of an evolutionary-science guy, but it seems the basic premise is plausible: The flies with "ants" on their wings were more likely to survive, and pass on their genetic material, including these abstract spots.
Mimicry is pretty common in animals and insects as well.
My other comment is that this could be a great example of pareidolia, where we tend to interpret somewhat abstract shapes as common objects/animals etc. If you saw those abstract shapes on a piece of paper, would you immediately say "those are ants?" maybe, maybe not.
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G a n j a
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: badchad]
#19110200 - 11/09/13 12:30 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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look more like spiders.
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GoldenEye
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: badchad]
#19110207 - 11/09/13 12:33 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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What I want to know is wether fruit flies are healthier than normal flies?
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GoldenEye
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: GoldenEye]
#19110214 - 11/09/13 12:34 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Just kidding, this is really cool! Wether it is intelligent design or not...
Does form follow function? Or function follow form?
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volcomstoner
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: GoldenEye] 3
#19110236 - 11/09/13 12:40 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
GoldenEye said: What I want to know is wether fruit flies are healthier than normal flies?
nah they just have a strange attraction to other male fruit flies
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Mad_Larkin

Registered: 11/29/07
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: badchad]
#19110238 - 11/09/13 12:41 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
badchad said: My other comment is that this could be a great example of pareidolia, where we tend to interpret somewhat abstract shapes as common objects/animals etc. If you saw those abstract shapes on a piece of paper, would you immediately say "those are ants?" maybe, maybe not.
That's a good point.
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morrowasted
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: Mad_Larkin]
#19110252 - 11/09/13 12:44 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
My other comment is that this could be a great example of pareidolia, where we tend to interpret somewhat abstract shapes as common objects/animals etc. If you saw those abstract shapes on a piece of paper, would you immediately say "those are ants?" maybe, maybe not.
I'd have to look at a lot of the flies. They look pretty insect-like to me. Good point though. Thanks for your quick response.
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GoldenEye
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted]
#19110297 - 11/09/13 12:59 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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If we interpret them as ants even though they are just abstract patterns, would that make any difference to the evolutionairy advantage of the fly?
I don't think so. If humans interpret them as ants, I'm quite sure that another visually focussed creature familiar with ants could do so as well...
Although I think the point they make in that it would confuse predators is rather weak. If something eats fruitflies it would probably eat ants as well. Many of them. Wouldn't it just gobble down the fly and its ant-wings? What's so evolutionairy beneficial about that?
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morrowasted
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: GoldenEye]
#19110306 - 11/09/13 01:01 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Although I think the point they make in that it would confuse predators is rather weak. If something eats fruitflies it would probably eat ants as well. Many of them. Wouldn't it just gobble down the fly and its ant-wings? What's so evolutionairy beneficial about that?
thats what I was thinking at first
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GoldenEye
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: morrowasted]
#19110338 - 11/09/13 01:10 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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They kind of look like self-portraits as well don't they?
Maybe it's a power in numbers thing?
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RiderOnTheStorm
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: Mad_Larkin] 3
#19110361 - 11/09/13 01:17 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Mad_Larkin said: omg is there a god
I concur and revoke my position of atheism immediately, this is the proof I've been looking for all my life. It's quite clear that these fruit flies are meant to play an important role in God's plan, and that he gave them ants on their wings to keep them alive long enough to fulfill that plan. Perhaps He did it to convince sciency skeptics like myself, or perhaps he did it so that a child somewhere wouldn't eat a piece of spoiled fruit that was destined to make him sick, for fear of ant bites. Either way I think we can all agree that it's clearly the work of Jehovah, wrathful storm God of the Jews.
The Lord sure works in mysterious ways.
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Sled
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: GoldenEye]
#19110366 - 11/09/13 01:17 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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It's just colour difference on the wing that we interpret as looking like ants, no?
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Set
candy colored clown


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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: Sled] 2
#19110509 - 11/09/13 01:57 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Sled said: It's just colour difference on the wing that we interpret as looking like ants, no?
*Predators of the fly interpret it looking like ants.
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classic LOVELINE
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circastes
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: Set]
#19110522 - 11/09/13 02:00 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm scared man.
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Set
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Re: WTF fruit fly "evolved" to have pictures of ants on its wings [Re: circastes]
#19110528 - 11/09/13 02:02 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
circastes said: I'm scared man.
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