In November, 2004 a swarm of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) flew eastwards over Sinai then pitched sharply north, avoiding the Gulf of Eilat and continuing until they could round the Gulf over land.  Observing this phenomenon got scientists in Jerusalem and Eilat thinking:  Perhaps the locusts knew to avoid large bodies of water because they could see polarized light.  Polarized light, reflected from the surface of such things as water, mirrors, or some plastic surfaces, is undetectable to human eyes, yet visible to fish and some insects.  The locusts are one of those insects, and the scientists were right.

Locusts are Biblically famous for their practice of swarming by the millions and destroying huge amounts of crops indiscriminately.  The scientists are hoping this new discovery will spawn some creative ideas for tricking the airborn locusts to circumvent specific places--such as by spreading polarized light-reflecting plastic over the area.


[In other news:  Astronomers discover a triple-astroid system.]