LED lights may disrupt the bat signal

Light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights often draw moths and other insects into small areas at night, setting a buffet for nocturnal predators, but certain aspects of the lights themselves might be rendering insects vulnerable in even more sinister ways, new research suggests. Many cities and towns are upgrading their streetlights from power-hungry gas-vapor lamps to LEDs as a cost-saving matter. In a 4-night study conducted at sites near Bristol, U.K., researchers mimicked one of these newfangled streetlights by placing an array of LEDs inside a streetlight housing on top of a 4-meter-tall tripod far from other sources of artificial light.