One of nature's most baffling phenomena has been the extraordinary power of female moths to attract mates over long distances. In one experiment, a female emperor in a gauze cage collected 127 males of her species in seven hours; male Chinese silkworm moths have been known to home in on intended mates from as far away as seven miles. Since a female under a bell jar will stir nothing in males on the outside only inches away, biologists have concluded that the secret of her charm must be an odor—from a substance so strong...
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