Mathematicians took a cue from nature by studying how fireflies synchronize their flashes. Researchers used a complex elliptic burster model of brain cell behavior to understand the synchronization.

Some fireflies have a mystifying gift for flashing their abdomens in sync. New observations are overturning long-accepted explanations for how the synchronization occurs, at least for some ...

Add this to your summer to-do list: next time you see the fireflies outside, try paying attention to the rhythm of the flashes. In some species, swarms will flash in sync. The fireflies' light show, ...