--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For many years in my laboratory and other…" description: "\"For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories around the world, we've been studying fly behaviors in little flight simulators. You can tether ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg" --- # For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories… ![“For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories around the world, we've been studying fly behaviors in little flight simulators. You can tether a fly to a little stick. You can measure the aerodynamic forces it's creating. You can let the fly play a little video game by letting it fly…” quote by Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg) > “For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories around the world, we've been studying fly behaviors in little flight simulators. You can tether a fly to a little stick. You can measure the aerodynamic forces it's creating. You can let the fly play a little video game by letting it fly around in a visual display.” [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Research uses tethered flies in visual displays to study flight dynamics and decision‑making, turning insects into experimental gamers. **In simple terms:** Scientists turn flies into tiny pilots to study flight. Key Takeaway Use simple models to explore complex behavior. Themes research neuroscience behavioral science Mood curious analytical Type scientific educational When to use this quote - lab experiments - robotic simulations - educational demos - public outreach Key Concepts experimental design neuroethology feedback loops Questions to Reflect On - What does fly behavior reveal about decision making? - How can this inform robotics? A Different Perspective Simplified setups may miss natural context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Laboratories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratories/) [Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratory/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video/) [Video game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video-game/) [Visual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [The field of ageing research is full of characters. We have hucksters claiming that cures for ageing can be bought and sold; prophetic seers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-field-of-ageing-research-is-full-of-characters-we-have-hucksters/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I think he should let me run Ohio. He should let us, the legislature, the members there, we should be running Ohio. The states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-think-he-should-let-me-run-ohio-he-should-let-us-the-legislature/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I was raised on technology. I grew up in Livermore, California, a town of physicists and cowboys. My parents worked at the government laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/i-was-raised-on-technology-i-grew-up-in-livermore-california-a-town/) [Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/) > [Imagine spending seven years at MIT and research laboratories, only to find out that you're a performance artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golan-levin/imagine-spending-seven-years-at-mit-and-research-laboratories-only-to/) [Golan Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golan-levin/) > [Although important nuclear physics work was to go on in laboratories such as ours had become - and we had to cut down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-carver/although-important-nuclear-physics-work-was-to-go-on-in-laboratories/) [John Henry Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-carver/) > [You know as a scientist that both were developed completely independently of each other in the laboratories. And only afterward were the political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-p-thompson/you-know-as-a-scientist-that-both-were-developed-completely/) [E. P. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-p-thompson/) > [Most of these experiments required the reduction of the cosmic ray muon flux in order to be successful, and the group necessarily became expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-reines/most-of-these-experiments-required-the-reduction-of-the-cosmic-ray/) [Frederick Reines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-reines/) > [From the practical point of view, the susceptibility to infection of the guinea pig proved to be the most useful step forward. Today, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jules-henry-nicole/from-the-practical-point-of-view-the-susceptibility-to-infection-of/) [Charles Jules Henry Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jules-henry-nicole/) > [Humans are born with a hard-wired morality: a sense of good and evil is bred in the bone. I know this claim might sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/humans-are-born-with-a-hard-wired-morality-a-sense-of-good-and-evil/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [U.S. surveillance of Pakistan extends far beyond its nuclear program. There are several references in the black budget to expanding U.S. scrutiny of chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/u-s-surveillance-of-pakistan-extends-far-beyond-its-nuclear-program/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Could I interrupt here, because there is an alternative explanation, which you are particularly well placed to examine. You know the argument that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-p-thompson/could-i-interrupt-here-because-there-is-an-alternative-explanation/) [E. P. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-p-thompson/) > [The stars are laboratories in which the evolution of matter proceeds in the direction of large molecules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/the-stars-are-laboratories-in-which-the-evolution-of-matter-proceeds/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [Through my work with PETA, I have learned a great deal about chimpanzee behavior and the plight of chimpanzees imprisoned in laboratories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/through-my-work-with-peta-i-have-learned-a-great-deal-about/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Sometimes I think that our laboratories are but little earthworks which men build about themselves, and whose puny tops too often conceal from view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-newton-lewis/sometimes-i-think-that-our-laboratories-are-but-little-earthworks/) Gilbert Newton Lewis ## More by Michael Dickinson > [Fly flight is just a great phenomenon to study. It has everything - from the most sophisticated sensory biology; really, really interesting physics; really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/fly-flight-is-just-a-great-phenomenon-to-study-it-has-everything-from/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [I grew up watching 'Star Trek.' I love 'Star Trek.' 'Star Trek' made me want to see alien creatures, creatures from a far-distant world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/i-grew-up-watching-star-trek-i-love-star-trek-star-trek-made-me-want/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [One of the fastest things a fruit fly does is take information from its eyes and react accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/one-of-the-fastest-things-a-fruit-fly-does-is-take-information-from/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [Like many insects, flies are most sensitive to green light. This means that they would see their world as 'black and white,' in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/like-many-insects-flies-are-most-sensitive-to-green-light-this-means/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [We discovered that fruit flies alter course in less than one one-hundredth of a second, 50 times faster than we blink our eyes, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/we-discovered-that-fruit-flies-alter-course-in-less-than-one-one/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [Only flies have true halteres. In fact, the scientific term for flies, 'diptera,' means 'two wings.' Most insects, including bees, have two pairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/only-flies-have-true-halteres-in-fact-the-scientific-term-for-flies/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [Although their maneuverability is limited, blind flies can fly remarkably well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/although-their-maneuverability-is-limited-blind-flies-can-fly/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [The robotic fly that we actually make the most use of in our laboratory is actually not a small thing, it's a giant thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/the-robotic-fly-that-we-actually-make-the-most-use-of-in-our/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [When you see a fly flitting around your hair or your potato salad, you might see an annoyance. But in my lab, you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/when-you-see-a-fly-flitting-around-your-hair-or-your-potato-salad-you/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [If flies are a great model, they're a great model for flies. These animals, you know, they're not like us. We don't fly. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/if-flies-are-a-great-model-they-re-a-great-model-for-flies-these/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [Although finding fruit flies in your wine or beer can be a bit annoying, I hope people will pause to admire the tenacity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/although-finding-fruit-flies-in-your-wine-or-beer-can-be-a-bit/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [If you watch a fly on, say, a coffee table, you'll see that they're rubbing their little legs together to groom themselves; they're actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/if-you-watch-a-fly-on-say-a-coffee-table-you-ll-see-that-they-re/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [I'm obsessed with insects, particularly insect flight. I think the evolution of insect flight is perhaps one of the most important events in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/i-m-obsessed-with-insects-particularly-insect-flight-i-think-the/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [When it first notices an approaching threat, a fly's body might be in any sort of posture depending on what it was doing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/when-it-first-notices-an-approaching-threat-a-fly-s-body-might-be-in/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [The fruit flies we work with have the equivalent of about a 25 by 25 pixel camera. But that camera is very, very fast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/the-fruit-flies-we-work-with-have-the-equivalent-of-about-a-25-by-25/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) [Explore all 21 Michael Dickinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) ## More Around quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [I guess I'm attracted to things that are fun. I guess what is fun about this role in 'Suburgatory' is that there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-things-that-are-fun-i-guess-what-is-fun/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [I think the issues around diversity of all kinds are really a huge problem in the startup world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/i-think-the-issues-around-diversity-of-all-kinds-are-really-a-huge/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [I drink maple syrup. Then I'm hyper so I just run around like crazy and work it all off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-drink-maple-syrup-then-i-m-hyper-so-i-just-run-around-like-crazy/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I became an MP in 2017 and have been around to watch Liberal Democrat party membership soar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layla-moran/i-became-an-mp-in-2017-and-have-been-around-to-watch-liberal-democrat/) [Layla Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layla-moran/) Browse all 7,275 Around quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories around the world, we've been studying fly behaviors in little flight simulators. You can tether a fly to a little stick. You can measure the aerodynamic forces it's creating. You can let the fly play a little video game by letting it fly around in a visual display.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Dickinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-other-laboratories-around-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Around" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-other-laboratories-around-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e4/michael-dickinson-26674_around_for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-othe_958788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For many years in my laboratory and other laboratories around the world, we've been studying fly behaviors…” — Michael Dickinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Dickinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For many years in my laboratory...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-other-laboratories-around-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/for-many-years-in-my-laboratory-and-other-laboratories-around-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```