13. The Fastest Fly

Curious Cases

BBC

Technology, Science

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The buzz of a fly hovering just above your head has got to be one of the most irritating sounds around, but this week we try to work out just how fast they could be flying. Could a claim horseflies reach speeds of up to 90 mph possibly be true, and Dara wants to know if this is what makes them so difficult to swat?

Entomologist Erica McAlister is better known as the ‘fly lady’ and speaks up in defence of these tiny creatures, explaining there are 7,000 known species in the UK alone. Which makes it all the more shocking there are several that don’t have wings.

For Professor Graham Taylor the question of speed comes down to a simple calculation, and the team try to work out whether a horsefly beats its wings fast enough relative to its size to travel so rapidly. He explains horseflies aren't clever, but scientists are interested in their simple brains and are studying them to use as models for drones and mini robots.

Contributors:

Dr Erica McAlister, Natural History Museum Professor Graham Taylor, Oxford University

Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to quickly tell you about some others.
0:05.2	My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland.
0:11.3	It's a job I really love because we get to tell the stories that really matter to people here,
0:16.3	but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world.
0:19.6	And because the team is such a diverse
0:21.2	range of skills and strengths, we have trained journalists, people who love digging through
0:26.0	archives, we've got drama and even comedy experts. We really can do those stories justice. So if
0:31.8	you like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories
0:37.1	from all around the UK. BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK.
0:40.1	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:46.8	I'm Hannah Frye.
0:48.0	And I'm Dara O'Brien.
0:49.2	And this is Curious Cases.
0:50.9	The show will we take your quirkiest questions?
0:52.9	Your crunchiest conundrums.
0:54.4	And then we solve them.
0:55.3	With the power of science.
0:56.9	I mean, do we always solve them?
0:57.9	I mean, the hit rate's pretty low.
0:59.8	But it is with science.
1:01.5	It is with science.
1:06.5	Welcome to another episode of Curious Cases.
	...

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