07 Oct

Posted at 20:41h in Scoop.it

The smell of a dying honey bee may not sound appealing, but one species of plant uses it to lay a clever trap, according to a new study. About 5% of plants use deceiving tactics to attract pollinators, including sporting flowers that look like female bees to attract eager male pollinators. But the distinctive-looking Ceropegia sandersonii, or parachute plant (pictured above), takes things to the next level. It plays on the behavior of female flies of the genus Desmometopa, which eat the juices secreted by bees trapped in carnivorous plants. Using a mixture of four compounds, C. sandersonii was able to imitate the smell released by worker honey bees from their glands when they try to bite or sting to defend themselves, researchers report today in Current Biology. Desmometopa flies are then attracted into the flower of C. sandersonii, where they end up coated in the plant’s pollen. But the plant allows them to escape—and be lured into yet another C. sandersonii plant’s flower, which the insects then pollinate. Thus, the circle of life and deception continues.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.sciencemag.org

07 Oct

Posted at 16:40h in Scoop.it

The rise of touch and gesture-driven devices has dramatically changed the way we think about interaction. Gestures are more than merely entertaining, they are very useful and feel familiar. Today, the success of a mobile app significantly depends on how well gestures are implemented into the user experience.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.smashingmagazine.com