Blowfly in flight captured in 3D

BBC : Video footage of a blowfly in flight has been assembled from x-ray images taken using in vivo time-resolved microtomography. As described in their paper published in the journal PLOS Biology, Simon Walker of the University of Oxford and colleagues tethered a blowfly to a vertical mount, which they rotated while blowing air at it. As the insect flew, they captured rapid snapshots of its body, both inside and out, which they put together to create a 3D reconstruction. One of the most surprising things they found, according to Walker, was the amount of deformation in the flies’ muscles and thorax. The researchers say that that structural flexibility is key and that their research may inspire the design of future micromechanical systems.