A terrifying robot can thwart invasive mosquito fish

A lab experiment shows how fear can render some exotic species less harmful

a robotic fish with gray and white 'skin' and red eyes swimming alongside small mosquito fish

Scientists designed a robotic fish (left) after largemouth bass, a natural predator of mosquito fish (right). Laboratory experiments show that the robotic fish induces fear that leads to behavioral, body and reproductive changes in the mosquito fish.

Giovanni Polverino

Invasive mosquito fish are often fearless. 

Free from the predators of their native range, these mosquito fish run rampant, throwing naive ecosystems from Europe to Australia out of whack.