Fatal attraction

Symbolic picture: Short-wave blue light in particular attracts nocturnal insects. Image: Gunnar Brehm/Uni Jena - Biologists from the University of Jena publish study on the relationship between flying insects and light pollution Jena, the "city of light", has its dark sides. If you look up at the night sky from the city centre, you can only make out the brightest stars. Lighting in the streets and shop windows is too bright, obscuring the view of the night sky. However, the consequences of this "light pollution" are much more devastating for nocturnal insects. Attracted by the light, they can no longer find mates, lay eggs or pollinate plants. "Light pollution probably plays a significant role in insect mortality," says Dr Gunnar Brehm of Friedrich Schiller University Jena.