The secret behind insects' lightning-fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy-efficient robots and self-driving cars, according to a new study challenging our understanding of how brains process information. Published in Nature Communications, the University of Sheffield research shows that house flies and fruit flies do not process visual information passively, as previously believed. Rather than simply watching the world, insects twitch their bodies in sync with what they see. These tiny, jerky movements, such as rapid movements of the eyes called saccades, help their brains receive clearer, faster information about the world around them.

The secret behind insects’ lightning-fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy-efficient robots and self-driving cars, according to a new study challenging our understanding of how brains process information. Published in Nature Communications, the University of Sheffield research shows that house flies and fruit flies do not process visual information passively, as previously believed. Rather than simply watching the world, insects twitch their bodies in sync with what they see. These tiny, jerky movements, such as rapid movements of the eyes called saccades, help their brains receive clearer, faster information about the world around them.

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