Event
WEdnesday SALON – How Fireflies Sync Their Rhythm
- Attendance on site
- Language EN
Event
WEdnesday SALON – How Fireflies Sync Their Rhythm
Fireflies use flashes of light to find mates. Each species has its own pattern, a kind of Morse code in light. In some species, thousands synchronize across an entire forest, though each firefly can only see a few neighbors. How does a swarm coordinate without a leader?
Fireflies offer a rare glimpse into animal communication. Each species flashes its own pattern of light to advertise itself to potential mates. But when thousands of fireflies flash in the same place, how can they cut through the noise?
Fireflies approach this problem in different ways: One is to amplify the signal by synchronizing. Tens of thousands can flash together, creating a strong, shared rhythm that makes the signal easier for potential mates to detect. Another is to evolve a light pattern that is easier to detect than everyone else’s. The best patterns are rhythmic too, and comparing them across species and their family tree reveals what those patterns were shaped to optimize.
About Orit Peleg
Orit Peleg studies how insect swarms communicate through the lens of physics and computer science. She is an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute.
Schedule
18:00 — Orit shares insights on how fireflies sync their rhythm
18:50 — Open discussion – “Salongespräch”19:20 — Drinks & get together20:00 — End
What is the WEdnesday SALON?
A public event at the Complexity Science Hub where leading scientists explore big questions in language everyone can understand. No background knowledge needed.
Inspired by Vienna’s turn-of-the-century salons, the WEdnesday SALON brings science into an open conversation – inviting everyone to listen, ask questions, and join the discussion. It’s a SALON for the WE.
🎤 This WEdnesday SALON will be moderated by scientist Eddie Lee.
Photos and/or videos may be taken at this event and used by the Complexity Science Hub for communication purposes across its channels. By attending, you consent to being photographed or filmed. If you do not wish to be recorded, please inform a member of the CSH team before the event.