Research in Neurobiology - Odor-guided Flight
Manduca adults can be taught to exhibit certain behaviors when they smell particular chemical compounds.
John G. Hildebrand, director of the Neurobiology Division of the Arizona Research Laboratories (ARLDN) at the University of Arizona, is leading research into practical uses for these "talented" moths. Some possibilities include using them to "sniff" for drugs, explosives, biological and chemical weapons, toxic chemicals, or other environmental hazards.
Below, a University of Arizona researcher prepares a wind tunnel experiment to study odor-guided flight in Manducas,
while another scientist monitors the data during a wind tunnel experiment.
