According to a study published in the journal Biological Cybernetics, 3D-printed and robot-controlled dummies of competitors were used for this purpose.
Scientists have found that infertile males mate more successfully after fighting with such idiots.
After encountering the dummies, the scientists placed the infertile males next to the females and found that they displayed more active mating behaviors compared to the males that did not interact with the “robots.”
One way to control populations of pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is to release sterile genetically modified males.
But in practice they are less successful in competition with “wild” individuals. Scientists from Italy have overcome this problem using a rather unconventional approach.
Source: Ferra
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