Butterflies and moths look at the world differently: Blame it on evolution

All moths engage in swift flight manoeuvres, and their eyes can sense the slightest change in their environment. What causes their eyes to perform the same functions under different light conditions is not clear to scientists. Recently, researchers have studied whether the butterflies and moths’ activity patterns at different times of the day can explain the difference in how their eyes function. The study, by researchers from the National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune (IISER-Pune), was published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A. It was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Government of India.