A Fly on the Wall

Pic. This image depicts a fly's ear, which is being used as a model for research at the University of Maryland for miniature acoustic sensors and sound localization techniques.

In Arlington, Virginia, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland is researching miniature acoustic sensors and sound localization techniques using the hearing mechanisms of flies as a model.

"Such research could benefit the Air Force by leading to the development of an artificial fly unmanned aerial vehicle with combined hearing and vision for navigation to inaccessible locations. It could also result in micro aerial vehicles and UAVs having improved homing capabilities.
"Dr. Miao Yu, team lead for the project funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, said her team has found that the fly ear represents a nature designed optimal structure for obtaining the best acoustic directional cues at 5 kHz(italics added)."

There is an alternative to the Air Force actually remaking the Fly Ear. Let’s play pretend for a moment. Imagine if they had the time to wait for evolution make one for them. I know that we are speaking of a huge amount of time, but let’s pretend anyway. After all, this is how evolution did it in the beginning.

Evolution made everything over millions or even billions of years, for no reason. But the Air Force Fly Ear has something more going for it than the process of evolution had in the beginning. The Air Force want it to happen, so that may help.

Imagine being a fly on the wall and watching when the process starts. I wonder how long it will take for something to begin, from nothing.