Oct 27, 2025
Swamp lights and bat sight
Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.
In this episode, researchers explore two spooky mysteries: the source of will-o’-the-wisps and how bats integrate vision with echolocation.
In this episode, we cover:
•[00:00] Introduction
•[00:58] Richard Zare's background and expertise.
•[01:26] Richard, have you ever seen will-o’-the-wisps in the
wild?
•[01:31] What did we already know about will-o’-the-wisps before
your study?
•[02:42] How could water droplets ignite methane?
•[03:24] Tell us about the methods of your study. How did you
explore this phenomenon?
•[04:17] What are the broader implications of your findings, beyond
just will-o’-the-wisps?
•[05:20] What are the caveats or the limitations of the study?
•[05:40] Laura Stidsholt's background and expertise.
•[06:06] Laura, what can you tell us about the species you
studied?
•[06:25] What instruments did you attach to the bats?
•[07:03] How did the bats’ echolocation behavior compare in dark
versus lit environments?
•[08:14] What do the results suggest about the benefits of
integrating information from multiple senses while hunting
prey?
•[08:58] What do the results imply about the potential impact of
artificial light on bats?
•[09:43] Final thoughts and conclusion.
About Our Guests:
Richard Zare
Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science
Stanford University
Laura Stidsholt
Assistant Professor
Aarhus University
View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2521255122
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2515087122
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