Fly reaction time test

In 1950, an article was published by C. M. Herget in the Journal Science.

It was entitled:

Reaction Time of the Common Housefly (Musca

domestica)

Science 14 Jul 1950: Vol. 112, 2898, 62

DOI: 10.1126/science.112.2898.62

In short, the researchers measured how long it takes a fly to react after quickly removing a platform from where it was standing with a bullet. They found that it took the fly around 21 milliseconds to extend its wings and take flight after falling with gravity a small fraction of an inch. That reaction time is more than 12x faster than that of a human.