Think Before You Swat: The Genius of Insects

Remember the days when you assembled model aircraft after Christmas or a birthday, and hung them proudly from the bedroom ceiling? If you were especially skilled, you assembled ones that could actually fly. You would be the first to boast that success didn't happen by chance. But now, imagine assembling a working model a hundred times smaller.

Avian flight is a work of genius, as Illustra's documentary Flight amply illustrated. But in a way, miniaturization is even more a mark of genius. Pac...