How blood-sucking insects find dark-coated cattle in the dark

Last year, biologist Susanne Ã…kesson at Lund University in Sweden, together with researchers in Hungary, received the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics. The prize was awarded to them for their research showing that dark-coated horses suffer more from blood-sucking horseflies compared to their white counterparts. Now, the researchers know why animals with a dark, smooth coat are particularly vulnerable – even in a dark environment.