{"id":370,"date":"2014-10-09T22:45:48","date_gmt":"2014-10-10T05:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/sumi\/?p=370"},"modified":"2015-06-12T22:30:35","modified_gmt":"2015-06-13T05:30:35","slug":"dragonflies-a-marvel-for-scientists-and-samurai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/sumi\/2014\/10\/09\/dragonflies-a-marvel-for-scientists-and-samurai\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonflies a marvel for scientists and … samurai"},"content":{"rendered":"

I luckily caught a glimpse of this beautiful blue dragonfly on my last rock climbing trip in Squamish, BC. If you\u2019ve seen a dragonfly in action, it speedily buzzes past, stops to hover a bit, and continues darting here and there. When it finds a place to land, it slowly and gracefully flaps its four wings up and down, but as soon as you get near it\u2019s gone off into the air.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonfly<\/a>
Dragonfly in arms reach. Photo by Maki Sumitani.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The way a dragonfly\u00a0flies actually gave it a symbolic significance in Japanese culture. During my time training in martial arts, I\u2019ve encountered several swords that use the dragonfly as a motif<\/a>. Among the Sengoku era warriors, the dragonfly was called the \u201cvictory insect\u201d (\u52dd\u866b\u3000kachimushi<\/em>). A dragonfly is fast and aggressive when chasing after their prey,<\/a>\u00a0and were known to only fly forwards and never retreat. This made a dragonfly\u00a0a model of a warriors’ brave spirit when faced with an enemy,\u00a0and thus as a sign of victory.<\/p>\n

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However, previous beliefs were challenged when researchers discovered that dragonflies are capable of incredible maneuvers in the air: they can move their\u00a04 wings separately, allowing them to hover and even fly backwards<\/em><\/a>. As far as we know, dragonflies are the only insect that are capable of such fine control of its wings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n