Fish look down to stay steady

Just as people may look down at the sidewalk while they walk, fish look down while they are swimming, according to new research. Doing so helps fish determine where they are going and to stay steady as they swim. A research team led by Northwestern University studied zebrafish in their native (home) habitat in India. They visited seven sites at shallow rivers with a camera protected inside a waterproof diving case. They used a robotic arm to control the camera and to capture what zebrafish might see. They found that the fish followed the riverbed (bottom of the river) and ignored distractions, like other fish. The scientists also studied zebrafish inside a lab tank surrounded by LED lights. When patterns like stripes appeared on the bottom of the tank, the…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 144

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