The trick:
Although a raindrop isn't any bigger than a mosquito, the insect is extremely lightweight compared to the water. When the heavy drop hits the airy mosquito, it's almost like hitting nothing at all. And this, the researchers found, is what keeps the mosquitos alive. By offering barely any resistance, a mosquito minimize the force of the collision. The raindrop doesn't even splatter when it hits.
How that information could help us build better drones:
To fly successfully through rainstorms, these aircraft might adopt some of the mosquitos' technologies. A low mass would minimize the force of collisions. And sprawled legs, the authors write, could give tiny aircraft enough torque to pull away sideways from a falling drop. Mosquitos also have water-repellent hairs that may help them separate from stuck-on raindrops; aircraft could achieve the same thing with hydrophobic coatings.
The Dish 