Most humans , but Newcastle University hurling virtual objects at a praying mantis equipped with a miniature set of three-dimensional specs. The praying mantis seems undaunted¡ªdespite looking pretty suave in its new shades.
In a ploy to understand how insects perceive depth, scientists glued a pair of 3-D glasses¡ªwith beeswax, not actual glue¡ªto the praying mantis’s stereoscopic eyes (nature’s version of three-dimensional vision), placed the creature in front of a green screen, and tried to get the insect to react.
This is not the first time scientists have messed with bugs. Backyard Brains released “the world’s first commercially available cyborg” last year. , a cockroach-ready backpack that gifts the user with “brief” wireless control of the left and right movements of the cockroach from their smartphone, is no longer available in Apple or Google Play stores after .
That’s insects two, scientists zero.