New research shows how mosquitoes can seemlessly fly through even torrential rain.
Despite the fact that a single raindrop can weigh 50 times more than a mosquito, the tiny insects are able to pass through them without harm from the impact.
Researchers at Georgia Tech say that the mosquito gets momentarily trapped in the drop rather than being pushed down by it.
"The drop comes at the speed of a comet, and instead of the mosquito resisting the force applied by the drop, it basically gets adhered to the drop like a stowaway," study leader David Hu, a professor of mechanical engineering and biology at Georgia Tech said to LiveScience.
"By doing this, the mosquito really minimizes the force that gets applied by the drop."
Read more on GlobalPost: Insect bite treatments do not work, says new study
The reason mosquitoes are able to do this is because of their tiny mass, which makes raindrops lose very little momentum upon impact, reported io9.
The mosquitoes then break free from the droplets using their legs and wings.
The escape from the drop happens in milliseconds.
According to the Daily Mail, the scientists used high-speed photography to record the insects flying through a controlled "arena" which simulated strong rains.
All of the mosquitoes lived and flew easily through the storm.
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?