Neuroscience And Fire Flies Flickering In Union.

About once a week, I check out the latest on math news just because I love seeing what is happening and I came across this article on why some fireflies flicker together in union.  I admit that wasn't a topic I ever thought about but the researchers from Pittsburg used neuroscience and math to come up with an explanation.   

When you see it happen, it looks like a swarm of lights that flicker on and off synchronized like a string of Christmas lights. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching fireflies, you'd have seen a series of quick flashes followed by a pause.before the flashing starts again.  What that actually is is male fireflies producing a glow from their abdomen indicating they are looking for a mate.  Now, the fireflies in the species Photinus Carolinas found in certain places in North America and they have managed to coordinate synchronization through the whole group so they blink at once. Only a few species of fireflies are able to do this and it only occurs when males are mating.  This has peaked the interest of mathematicians who wonder how this was accomplished.

In order to determine how the fireflies managed to synchronize, mathematicians relied on a complex mathematical model called "elliptic burster" which is the same model scientists have used to describe the behavior of brain cells.  They began with simulating the flickers of one firefly, then expanded it to two fireflies to determine how the two insects coordinated their flashes. Then they expanded to larger swarms to see how speed, distance, and number of fireflies effected the blinks.  

As scientists varied distance, they noticed the fireflies could "see" each other and were able to respond to each other.  With a few tweeks, researchers could get the fireflies to blink in spirals or ripples and their results aligned with real world observations. It was also noticed that individual fireflies flashed in a more inconsistent pattern while groups produced a more regular pattern.  In addition, when new fireflies joined the group, they were able to join perfectly in time.

The mathematicians indicated that their research will help scientists make amount of light pollution and the time of day effected the ability of fireflies to coordinate with each other since both factors could interfere with who well they "see" each other.

It was interesting to see how the individuals began acting in unison when they came together in a swarm.  It is also interesting to see how the mathematical model applied to model the behavior of brain cells can also be used to explain firefly behavior.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.