Ever Wondered The Actual Science Behind The Trending Möth And Lamp Memes?

The Möth Memes are the hottest memes that recently dominated the web, and National Geographic decided to take it a step further...

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01
Moths are nocturnal creatures who happen to travel by the glimmer of the moonlight

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and 'lamp' confuses their instinctual navigation system, which is a method called Transverse orientation.
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02
So what does that even mean?

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Transverse orientation is like us using the North star to determine which way is North.
03
But why are they pulled towards a light that can ultimately kill them?

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The evolution of the moth wasn't prepared for the modern worlds use of light around-the-clock. The light disturbs the moth's transverse orientation, thus, drawing them into their doom.
04
Moths believe they've reached the moon

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Lynn Kimsey, professor of Entomology at UC Davis, perfectly describes the use of electricity and light to National Geographic as, "artificial moons," in which we created, that have caused the moths to go "awry."
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05
Moths have "miniature telescopes" in their eyes that tune to faint light

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And when faced with such an insanely powerful artificial illumination we create, the moth simply cannot resist.
06
In the end, the Moth and the Lamp share a classic and tragic tale as star-crossed lovers

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Much like the infamous Romeo & Juliet

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