These ‘lips’ help a bloodsucking fly to gorge itself on blood from cattle.
The prizewinning electron micrograph, taken by Frank Page of the University
of Loughborough, shows the tip of the fly’s proboscis. ‘The fly lands on
cattle and creates a wound with those teeth (near the base of the picture),’
explains Malcolm Greenwood of the university’s geography department. ‘Blood
wells up in the groove and it acts like a sponge, drawing blood up into
the many channels that drain off into the proboscis.’ Vets are interested
in the flies because they spread mastitis.
More from 91av
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 91av articles
1
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
2
Human heads have changed shape a lot in the past 100 years
3
100-year-old assumption about the universe may soon be overturned
4
The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe
5
An unorthodox version of quantum theory could reveal what reality is
6
Is consciousness more fundamental to reality than quantum physics?
7
Thought-provoking photographs capture what it feels like to have ADHD
8
Why the keto diet could be a revolutionary way to treat mental illness
9
The 4 biggest myths about hydration, according to an expert
10
Weird 'transdimensional' state of matter is neither 2D nor 3D
