Podcast appearances and mentions of erica mcalister

I'm out in the garden looking for that pile of jobby I found the other day, and it made me think back to my chat in episode 17 with Erica McAlister all about flies (and fleas).  Erica is the London Natural History Museum's expert on all things dipeteric (flies) and siphonapteric (fleas), and an extremely funny and nice person too. Reaching for that fly-killer? WAIT A MINUTE. Must we call kill all pests? (Must we even think of them as pests in the first place?) If you like the show please do consider chipping in a couple of quid over at http://www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. And a written review would be ace. Please thank you please. The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. The show is over on Instagram at @yourbrainonclimate. YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.  Poo definitely not by Maggie cat. 

Flies are amazing insects that play critical roles in our environment including pollination, waste disposal, pest control, and as a link in the food web. Flies are greatly diverse in colors, shape, size, and where they live. Butterflies and bees probably generate more enthusiasm, but it's time to change that. To talk about flies with us, we are joined by Dr. Erica McAlister, who works at the Natural History Museum in London, where she is the principal curator for Diptera and Siphonaptera, i.e., flies and fleas. Erica takes a particular interest in three groups of flies, fungus gnats, assassin flies, and mosquitoes. The latter means that inevitably she is involved with many projects related to identification of mosquitoes and which ones are associated with spread of malaria and other diseases and viruses, but her experience is much broader, including teaching entomology in Dominica and studying the invertebrates — more specifically, the flies — of that island. Finally, Erica is also the award-winning author of four books, including The Secret Life of Flies and The Inside Out of Flies.---Cover Photo: Whitney Cranshaw - Bugwood CC - Tachinid fly (Trichopoda pennipes) Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

Did you know that flies fly in rectangles, fish hide by lighting themselves up and the moon is lifting the ground underneath your feet? Anand Jagatia quizzes members of the CrowdScience team on the moments from the past year that had them scratching their heads in amazement. We hear Dr Erica McAlister's attempts to calculate how many flies have ever existed, and about flies' mating choreography, courtesy of Prof Jochen Zeil. We learn how to tell a mosquito's sex thanks to Eggrey Aisha Kambewa and Dr Steve Gowelo. Astronomer Dr Darren Baskill describes tides not of water but of land; Dr Edie Widder paints a vivid picture of a camouflaged creature of the deep; and we explore starfishes' five-fold symmetry with Dr Imran Rahman. Khimlal Gautam, Mountaineer and Chief Survey Officer for the Government of Nepal, tells us of the near-death experience he had when checking the height of Mount Everest. And finally, axolotl expert Dr Elly Tanaka is astonished at the dedication of CrowdScience presenter Alex Lathbridge to the subject of her research. Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Ben Motley Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Managers: Donald MacDonald and Giles Aspen(Photo: Lost in formulas Credit: Cimmerian via Getty Images)

With the help of the wonderful Dr Erica McAlister this episode of Talking of Wine attempts to bring Joe's scientific knowledge of Phylloxera down to Richard's level of understanding. We thought it would be fun to take a really, really niche wine topic and see if we could sell it to the lay people. So, obviously, we talk sex, nightclubs, Center Parcs and red spider mites. Why would you lick a battery and can you grow vines on a volcano? You see, it's not all about nymphs and root stocks. Don't say we don't spoil you dear listener. As usual, with a guest, it is a slightly longer listen but hope you enjoy…(The explicit warning would be mild but have listed it as such to be safe) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vital to our existence and yet maggots have never been a very popular creature but, Dr Erica McAlister makes this particular maggot seem almost adorable. With many thanks to Dr Erica McAlister, Entomologist, Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum, Author, Presenter  @ericamcalister This one comes from the collection I made for The Lost Gardens of Heligan. annabel@messagesfromthewild.com www.messagesfromthewild.com     

The CrowdScience team like a challenge. And listeners Jenny and Kai in the UK have come to us with a big one. They want to know how many flies have ever existed. Flies first appeared around 270 million years ago, so presenter Caroline Steel prepares herself to calculate a very, very large number indeed. She enlists the help of Dr Erica McAlister, Curator of Flies at the Natural History Museum in London. As Erica introduces her to specimens from the Museum's collection of over 30 million insects, they start with the basics. Like... how do you define a fly in the first place?Caroline also explores the incredible diversity of flies… from fast-moving predators like robber flies which catch other insects on the wing to midges which are a vital part of chocolate-production; and from blood-sucking mosquitoes which transmit fatal diseases to the housefly buzzing lazily around a room. And that leads to another fly-related question. Listener Brendan in Colombia wonders why they always fly in circles around a particular area of his apartment. For an explanation we turn to Prof. Jochen Zeil from the Australian National University who reveals that this apparently aimless behaviour is, in fact, a battle for sex. And Collin in Barbados has e-mailed to ask how flies and mosquitoes benefit us. He's had first-hand experience of their negative effects through contracting the disease chikungunya from a mosquito bite so he's wondering if these insects are anything other than a nuisance. However, passionate fly advocate Erica McAlister is ready with plenty of reasons that we should be extremely grateful for them!Contributors: Dr Erica McAlister, Natural History Museum, London Dr David Yeates, Director, Australian National Insect Collection Prof. Jochen Zeil, Australian National University Prof. Jo Lines, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Jeremy Grange Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Sarah Hockley(Image: Close-up of insect on leaf, Kageshwori Manohara,Bagmati Province,Nepal. Credit: Aashish Shrestha)

As the UN tries to get a global agreement on plastic waste we hear from two delegates at the conference in Ottawa; John Chweya, a Kenyan waste picker, and plastics scientist, Steve Fletcher, discuss the impacts of plastic pollution and the possible solutions. Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, exposes the pain a break up can cause. Heartbreak is a common theme in music and art – but what does science have to say about it? Florence Williams, science journalist and author of Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, talks us through the research on what actually happens in our bodies when we go through a break-up. The nomadic Avar empire ruled over eastern and central Europe from the sixth to the ninth century but very little was known about them – until now. From studying ancient DNA, researchers have discovered a wealth of information about how the Avars lived. Dr Lara Cassidy, Assistant Professor in Genetics at Trinity College Dublin, explains the findings, and how it's even possible to learn so much from ancient DNA. We all know how bees great are – but what about all the other pollinators? Dr Erica McAlister from the Natural History Museum in London speaks out in defence of the fly. Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Hannah Robins and Sophie Ormiston Editor: Martin Smith

James, Anna, Andy and Erica McAlister discuss flies, flies, flies and flies. Visit nosuchthingasafish.com for news about live shows, merchandise and more episodes. Join Club Fish for ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content at apple.co/nosuchthingasafish or nosuchthingasafish.com/patreon

"There can't be zombies if flies exist"Dr Erica McAlister is the Natural History Museum's Senior Curator of Diptera and Siphonaptera (A.K.A Flys and fleas!) overseeing a collection of nearly 4 million specimens. Erica has presented a Radio 4 series on Insects (Who's the Pest) and her books include The Secret Life of Flies, A Bug's World, and her upcoming title Metamorphosis: How Insects Are Changing Our World. You can get in touch with Dan Schreiber on Twitter and Instagram (@Schreiberland). In his bio, you'll find the link to our Discord channel - a global community of likeminded weirdos!

Erica McAlister on the bee intellect and whether bigger brains are always better. Plus cockroaches may be reviled by many people, but Erica discovers the extraordinary flexibility of their simple nervous system led to the birth of neuroendocrinology. (Photo: A cockroach. Credit: Aymen Jemli / Getty Images)

We're back for the fifth episode of Season 7! Everything Under The Sun has been nominated for Best British Podcast in the kids category, has a paperback book of Everything Under The Sun OUT NOW and has moved to Bali, Indonesia!We're going to be having lots of fun answering kids questions from all over the world.This week the questions are:Why are bugs so little? Answering this one we have Erica McAlister from the Natural History Museum in London! Thank you so much Erica. What is an electron made of? We learn all about atoms, the little particles that make up everything in the world! Atoms and their electrons are such amazing things, I'm really excited to tell you all about them. What is the richest place in the world? It's a really interesting answer all about how we can calculate how much money each place in the world has, and about how that money is spread across different people. Find out all about bugs, electrons, and the world's money on this week's episode!And do buy the brand new PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwritesPod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpodDo check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions.Have a lovely listen and a great week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erica McAlister on the innocuous wasp-like black soldier fly, a crown jewel of a fast-growing insect farming industry that's addressing the urgent need to find cheap clean protein. And how Namib Desert beetles have evolved in a very special environment, where the only source of water exists in the air. (Image: Desert beetle in Namib desert. Credit: Martin Harvey/Getty Images)

Blowflies may be some of the most reviled insects on the planet, but as Erica McAlister discovers, they are central to the surprisingly long tradition of forensic entomology and how there's more than meets the eye in the distinctive structural colour of the morpho butterfly wing, whose dazzling sheen is a key for camouflage and commerce. (Photo: A fly on a leaf. Credit: Christina Bollen/Getty Images)

Dr Erica McAlister uncovers a treasure trove of remarkable insights from the insect world including the innocuous flies that are Drosophila melanogaster. More is known about these flies than any other animal on the planet, as a model for human genetics. And the hoverfly that arguably undergoes the biggest transformation of any animal and how insect metamorphosis could be a tool to track future climate change.

Dr Erica McAlister uncovers a treasure trove of remarkable insects from the humble flea whose jump enables them to fly without wings and the mystery of the hawkmoth's tongue, whose varying length has offered the simplest and most effective proof of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection in action.

Yup, buzz-buzz-swat-buggers. Now, I can't guarantee you're going to come out of this one in love with flies (and fleas), but maybe you'll think a wee bit differently about 'em. About what we need to do to our brains to make small buzzing things our chums, not our nemesis. And why needing to do it is pretty dang essential for not wiping out everything that lives, including ourselves. Joining Dave this week is the legend that is Dr Erica McAlister, the London Natural History Museum's expert on all things dipeteric (flies) and siphonapteric (fleas). Never will you have been so charmed by one woman's protective affection for these unloved insects.  Owl noises: -- 08:07: if you want more secret sexy fly stuff, you perv, check out Erica's talk on Youtube.-- 29:52: an obituary of Miriam Rothschild who believed in God because fleas have willies. Your Brain on Climate is a podcast about human psychology vs the climate crisis: what we think, why we think it, and how it all adds up to a planet-sized emergency.  Contact the show:  @brainclimate on Twitter, or hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. The show is hosted by me, Dave Powell, who you can find @powellds on Twitter.  Original music by me, and I twiddle all the production knobs too. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.   

For too long have adult insects hogged the spotlight, with their flash wings and ostentatious sexual maturity. At long last, its time for the larval forms to creep into the spotlight. Tom chats with Dr Erica McAlister, entomologist, author and senior curator at the National History Museum in London about maggots (and other larval diptera). What is there to know about maggots? Hods! Come discover their wriggly world. 

S4E38 We return to London's Natural History Museum. This time however, we're in the bowels of the Diptera collection with flygirl herself, Dr Erica McAlister. If you think you recognise that name it's because Erica has graced the airwaves several times before including BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage and The Life Scientific. As you'll hear in this episode, Erica needs help from those of us who regularly handle bats. If you're a bat carer or a bat worker who undertakes bat box checks or trapping surveys, please start collecting all bat ectoparasites from bats and place them into vials of 100% ethanol. Make detailed notes about the species of bat they came from, the sex of the bat, located of ectoparasite & what the bat was doing at the time. A location & the habitat is also a must. As much info as possible! You can then post your specimens to:Dr Erica McAlister,Senior Curator; Diptera,Life Sciences (Insects Division),The Natural History Museum,Cromwell Road,London SW7 5BD.Your specimens will be added to the collection and your name will eventually appear in the digital collections.Bat and bird fly recording scheme websiteSee Piotr Naskrecki's bat fly image hereA short video of Erica talking about bat flies along with more photos hereEthanol can be purchased hereSample tubes can be Thank you to Wildcare and Wildlife Acoustics for sponsoring the BatChat Podcast in 2022-2023.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors!Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Wildlife Acoustics Wildcare Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!

Yes, we moan about them biting us, landing on our food and invading our picnics, but did you know that flies are extremely important pollinators? And they also polish off a lot of the dead and decomposing stuff in nature, making the world a better place for us to live? Dr Erica McAlister, the curator of flies at the Natural History Museum, tells us why we should give these insects a little more love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wonderful world of flies is so amazing and varied. Today, Dr Erica McAlister and Kate Bradbury delve into why they really are the unsung heroes of the planet. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alarming reports of declining insect populations have triggered warnings that the world may be facing ‘Insectageddon'. What could happen if insect numbers fall further? Why do we care about some more than others? And what can we do to protect at-risk species?This is The Overview.Presented by Julia O'Driscoll, with guests environmentalist and broadcaster Chris Baines, Dr Nick Isaac from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Dr Erica McAlister, senior curator at the Natural History Museum, and Professor Seirian Sumner from UCL. Thanks to The Week's Kari Wilkin. Produced by Rich Jarman. Find Chris Baines' Film, The Living Thames, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B09QG4925K/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_rFind Erica McAlister's book, The Secret Life of Flies, here: https://www.nhmshop.co.uk/the-secret-life-of-flies-paperback.html Find Seirian Sumner's book Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps here: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/endless-forms-the-secret-world-of-wasps-seirian-sumner?variant=39532321472590

Brian Cox and Robin Ince kick off the new series by tackling one of the greatest questions ever posed by science: which are better, bats or flies? Joining them for this unusual version of animal Top Trumps are a bat expert (Prof Kate Jones), a fly expert (Dr Erica McAlister) and Dave Gorman. Pitching arguably two of the least-lovable groups of creatures against each other, the battle for victory explores why we should favour flies or find bats beautiful. Although both are much maligned thanks to their association with some nasty diseases, Erica and Kate battle furiously to show why their respective species should be loved not loathed and how our planet would simply not be the same without them. Dave Gorman joins the panel in an attempt to help adjudicate. Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Welcome to our annual spooktacular! We like to try and find a topic every year that will fit the Halloween season and we are honored that Dr. Erica McAlister, senior curator at the Natural History Museum in London, could join us for a recording session. Her book “The Secret Life of Flies” is one of the top sellers in entomology on Amazon and she was the keynote speaker at ESA in 2019. We cover Chapter 9 of her book which is focused on parasitic flies! Tune in for Dipteran appreciation, body horror, and most importantly, bot flies!Show notes: Check out "The Secret Life of Flies" to read along with us for this episode! You can find Erica on twitter @flygirlNHMor read about her work with the NHM hereA horse bot fly by Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  We're also on Stitcher!This episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Beginning/ending theme: "There It Is" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This week we welcome on to the podcast Dr. Erica McAlister to talk to us about all things fly, what they do for us, and how we can help them. The cupboard is open, come on in.

In the aftermath of wildlife crime, victims can pile up quickly. In this episode of Wild Crimes, we examine the fallout of southern white rhino poaching. One of the victims is clear - the white rhino - but others can go unremarked on. However, dung beetles and tiny rhino botflies are suffering too. Rhinos are considered a keystone species, because their existence helps sculpt and shape landscapes and ecosystems. When they are killed by poachers, all sorts of knock-on effects are triggered. Why is the protection of creatures like the rhino so important? How does the loss of keystone species affect an ecosystem, and why are we humans often overlooking the repercussions? Join the discussion with Rebecca Drury, Head of Wildlife Trade for Flora and Fauna International and the Natural History Museum's Dr Erica McAlister and Max Barclay. To learn more about the hidden victims of wildlife crime and support the Natural History Museum's work, visit nhm.ac.uk/wildcrimes

"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away..." This week we're gardening with winged visitors in mind as we talk all things pollinator. However, there's more to pollinating insects than just bees, as the Natural History Museum's Senior Curator, Erica McAlister explains. "Having a cuppa tea and a chocolate brownie? You wouldn't be having any of that in your beautiful garden if it wasn't for the flies," she says. Who knew such humble creatures could be so important? Garden designer Humaira Ikram shares tips on how to create a pollinator-friendly plot and in the latest part of our grow-your-own series, Sylvia Travers of RHS Garden Bridgewater offers tips on growing all kinds of beans. Plus, as part of our Hidden Horticulturists series, grower Abra Lee tells the inspirational story of Edmond Albius, a young slave boy who worked out one of the biggest botanical mysteries of his day – how to pollinate the vanilla orchid. As Abra says, "It's so empowering to hear these stories, and you're able to look at yourself and know you are capable of great things".

Jeffrey got in touch to ask: "We've had a cold and snowy winter, and I've had to shovel my driveway every few days. We had a fly in our house, and I was curious if it survived the cold somehow, or recently hatched?" Adam Murphy got in touch with Erica McAlister, fly specialist and Senior Curator from the Natural History Museum in London to fly in an answer... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We talk about bee-flies, the cute brown fuzzy flies that start to appear in Early spring. As guest host we have the only person we could have asked, the woman Nick baker that described as “the best thing that has ever happened to flies, Dr Erica McAlister! (Who was a great guest back in Ep26).…

Fliegen habe die schlechteste Presse überhaupt. Niemand mag Fliegen. Erica McAlister liebt sie! Die britische Wissenschaftlerin erforscht Fliegen jeder Art in Londoner Gärten. Jochen Paulus hat sich das angeschaut.

When we think of flies we generally think of pretty nasty things.  Pestilence, death, and decay - loud, irritating and dirty little insects with no redeeming qualities which are probably close to the top of the list of things that people have absolutely no problem with killing. But are we doing flies a disservice? Is there more to these insects than meets the eye? Dr. Erica McAlister, Senior Curator of Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Natural History Museum of London & author of ‘The Secret Life of Flies’ & 'The Inside Out of Flies' joined Jonathan to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Futureproof with Jonathan McCrea on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.    Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Hosted by Robin Ince and Dr Helen Czerski this episode of the Science Shambles podcast is an audio recording of our weekly Sunday Science Q and A show that goes out at 3pm BST on our YouTube channel. On this episode Robin and Helen are joined by Dr Erica McAlister and Prof Matthew Cobb to talk about flies, wasps and maggots... Watch them on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/cosmicshambles and get bonus content and extended conversations with guests by subscribing at patreon.com/cosmicshambles

In Praise of Flies Brian Cox and Robin Ince kick off a new series of Infinite Monkey Cage with a look at probably the least revered or liked group of insects, the flies. They are joined by fly sceptic David Baddiel , fly enthusiast and champion Dr Erica McAlister and maggot expert Matthew Cobb to discover why a life without flies would be no life at all. Can Erica and Matthew persuade David to put his fly gun down and learn to love those pesky pests, or is their reputation for being disgusting and annoying justified? What would a planet without flies look like? Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Dr Erica McAlister makes a welcome return to the podcast to discuss the fly that landed on Mike Pence's head during this week's Vice-Presidential debate. And Dave Yapp shares more of his esoteric audio. Have a smashing weekend! xxx See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode we talk flies with Dr Erica McAlister, Senior Curator of Diptera (true flies) at the Natural History Museum in London. She is also president of the Amateur Entomologists’ Society, and author of the The Secret Life of Flies and her new book The Inside Out of Flies.Erica answers listener questions on flies and tells…

A bittersweet day - it's our final TGI Flyday with Dr Erica McAlister. Plus your rude words made from the Periodic Table, and various gubbins. Have a good weekend xxx See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

They're in the kitchen. They're in the garden. They zoom into your room when the window is open. They can seem annoying BUT they're important. Flies. On today's show I spoke with senior curator of Diptera (Flies) at London's Natural History Museum & author of The Secret Life of Flies, Dr Erica McAlister. From her favourite species of fly, to why they're important & to what actually makes a species, Erica covers it all (whilst out on her daily government authorised walk). It was wonderful to chat to someone with such knowledge & passion about this world of insects. If you'd like to keep up to date with projects & shows that Erica is working on, you can do so by following her on Instagram & Twitter @flygirlNHM  

And other things that will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the coronavirus. Plus, From Our Madrid Correspondent aka My Brother Joe, and TGI Flyday buzzes round again, with Dr Erica McAlister. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To-day we are go-ing to the shops. Mum-my wants to buy some bread. Dad-dy wants to buy some whi-sky. He is go-ing to have a right old ding-dong with the man who got the last bot-tle. Plus TGI Flyday with Dr Erica McAlister and the reveal of this week's Turn Of Phrase TM. Have a lovely weekend! . See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today! Jeremy Hunt! Crufts! And more dipteralols with Lady of the Flies, Dr Erica McAlister... Have a good weekend! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is happy to slum it with Walkers' crisps, apparently. Also, Amol Rajan on what comedy to watch, Dr Erica McAlister on pollinating flies, and we reveal the answers to this week's challenges. Have a lovely weekend! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dominic Cummings' latest schemes - not eugenicky, nope, not at all. We have our TGI Flyday Fly Of The Week with Dr Erica McAlister from the Natural History Museum, and Dora Dale and Martin Kelner have a rummage around Richard Whiteley's boudoir in a rare bit of archive. Have a lovely weekend! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mosquitos are a fast-adapting, elusive enemy which humans have been trying to combat for thousands of years. As vectors of dangerous diseases, these tiny insects have killed more people in human history than any other animal. So what impact has the mosquito had on our lives? How have humans tried to halt its spread? And who is winning the battle? Joining Bridget Kendall to discuss the history of man and the mosquito are Dr. Erica McAlister, Senior Curator of Diptera - Flies - at the Natural History Museum in London; Dr. Timothy Winegard, historian and author of The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator; and Dr. Clifford Mutero of the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya, and author of Mosquito Hunter: Chronicles of an African Insect Scientist. Image: Health workers tackling the spread of the Zika virus in Brazil, 2016 Credit: Mario Tama / Getty Images

Sajid Javid makes amends with Dominic 'Be-'Cummings, we reveal this week's Turn Of Phrase, synaesthesia, self-help books, and the amazing Dr Erica McAlister from the Natural History Museum kicks off the best of our TGI Flydays See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author and fly researcher Dr. Erica McAlister helps bust myths about mosquitoes and other flies See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Angela McMahon of Flow Communications, organiser of the Noireland crime fiction festival in Belfast and book publicist to the stars. In this episode she tells Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan how to get attention for your book; why podcasts like this one (yay!) are useful (because they’re shareable; about the first rule of book publicity; about how an author should handle a publicist; about the best media platforms to hook the book-buying public; who is the best author interviewer; about running a festival; how introverts can handle the media; and about her famous clients - Mark Dawson, Tony Kent, Ann Cleeves, MJ Arlidge, Iain Rankin, Denise Mina, Harlan Coben and Anthony Horowitz. Also featuring Samuel Dodson and Philosophers’ Dogs, Karin Abdul Jabbar, Kim Newman, Alan Drew, Brian McGilloway, Diarmaid Ferriter, Dr Erica McAlister, Molly Jacobs, Will Dean, Graham Norton, Nicola May, No Alibis, Stefanie Bretherton, Unbound, Duncan Jones, Liberty Films and an acapella rendition of the theme from the A-team. We'd Like A Word is a podcast and radio show from Paul Waters and  Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, celebrities, talkers,  poets about books, songs, lyrics, speeches,  scripts, fiction and  non-fiction. We go out once a fortnight on Wednesday evening on radio and on Thursday morning on podcast. Our website is www.wedlikeaword.com -  which is where you'll find information about Paul and Steve and our  guests - and details of the radio stations that carry We'd Like A Word.  We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword and Facebook @wedlikeaword and our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com - and yes,  we are slightly embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear  from you - your thoughts,  ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word in person, to chat, review, meet writers or read out passages from books. 

Dr Erica McAlister on how to make science writing accessible and engaging without dumbing down. In this episode Stevyn Colgan and Paul Waters chat with Erica McAlister, the author of the award-winning book, The Secret Life of Flies. Erica is the Senior Curator for Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Natural History Museum in London. In other words, she’s the Lord of the Flies. She loves flies - she goes syrupy thinking of them - and they sometimes seem to quite fancy her. She’s also very very funny. No, really. Who knew flies were so hilarious? Listen in for all about flies and why they’re saving the world and just so downright beautiful. We'd Like A Word is a podcast and radio show from Paul Waters and  Stevyn Colgan. We talk with writers, readers, celebrities, talkers,  poets about books, songs, lyrics, speeches,  scripts, fiction and  non-fiction. We go out once a fortnight on Wednesday evening on radio and on Thursday morning on podcast. Our website is www.wedlikeaword.com -  which is where you'll find information about Paul and Steve and our  guests - and details of the radio stations that carry We'd Like A Word.  We're also on Twitter @wedlikeaword and Facebook @wedlikeaword and our email is wedlikeaword@gmail.com - and yes,  we are slightly embarrassed by the missing apostrophes. We like to hear  from you - your thoughts,  ideas, guest or book suggestions. Perhaps you'd like to come on We'd Like A Word in person, to chat, review, meet writers or read out passages from books. 

Dr Erica McAlister, of London's Natural History Museum, talks to Jim Al-Khalili about the beautiful world of flies and the 2.5 million specimens for which she is jointly responsible. According to Erica, a world without flies would be full of faeces and dead bodies. Unlike, for example, butterflies and moths, whose caterpillars spend their time devouring our crops and plants, fly larvae tend to help rid the world of waste materials and then, as adults, perform essential work as pollinators. Yet they are rather unloved by humans who tend to regard them as pests at best and disease vectors at worst. 2019 is international Year of the Fly, and dipterists and entomologists around the world are working to raise the profile of the many thousands of species so far known to science. Erica tells Jim about her work in the museum, cataloguing and identifying new species either sent in from other researchers or discovered by her and her colleagues on swashbuckling trips around the world. Modern gene sequencing techniques are revealing new chapters in the life histories of species, and her collection of 300 year old dead flies continues to expand our knowledge of how the world works. Perhaps in the future, she argues, we will all be eating pasta and bread made from fly-larvae protein, or using small tea-bag like packets of maggots in our wounds to clean out gangrenous infection.

Fliegen haben die schlechteste Presse überhaupt. Niemand mag Fliegen. Erica McAlister liebt sie! Die britische Wissenschaftlerin erforscht Fliegen jeder Art in Londoner Gärten.

Ahead of the impending new series, we asked you what clips we should include in a 'Best Of' episode. You told us. We had a think. And the result is THIS - a 'Best of?' episode covering series 1 to 6. This is the PERFECT EPISODE to share with your friends, neighbours, putative in-laws, bosses and enemies - a serviceable introduction to the world of Do The Right Thing.If you're a long-time listener, please consider supporting the show using your financial clout. Click here to find out how you can make one-off donations or 'per episode' donations via our new Patreon page going forward. Also... follow us on Twitter (@DTRTpodcast), 'Like' it on Facebook and comment on iTunes. Thanks!This episode features clips from (in alphabetical order) Chris Addison, Doc Brown, Susan Calman, Bridget Christie, Les Dennis (just his laugh), Nick Doody, Paul Foot, Jessica Fostekew, Kerry Godliman, Dave Gorman, Richard Herring, Rufus Hound, Robin Ince, Sarah Kendall, Shappi Khorsandi, Nish Kumar, Josie Long, Joe Lycett, Sarah Millican, Diane Morgan, Mark Olver, Richard Osman, Romesh Ranganathan, Katherine Ryan, Paul Sinha, Jesse Thorn and Mike Wozniak, snippets from Ian Boldsworth, Ed Gamble, Thom Tuck, Martin White and Andy Zaltzman and expertise from Dr Kevin Fernando, Dr Erica McAlister, Matthew Perret, Jon Ronson and Simon Watt.If you're at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, why not check out Michael Legge's show 'The Idiot' See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A detailed snapshot of Earth's natural life is published this week. How sick is the planet and what can we do to reverse the damage? Tom Heap hosts a debate on the vital findings of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Tom is joined by Sir Robert Watson, Chair of the IBPES, by the writer and broadcaster Gaia Vince and by Erica McAlister, insect specialist at the Natural History Museum. Producer: Alasdair Cross

Dr Erica McAlister, of London's Natural History Museum, talks to Jim Al-Khalili about the beautiful world of flies and the 2.5 million specimens for which she is jointly responsible. According to Erica, a world without flies would be full of faeces and dead bodies. Unlike, for example, butterflies and moths, whose caterpillars spend their time devouring our crops and plants, fly larvae tend to help rid the world of waste materials and then, as adults, perform essential work as pollinators. Yet they are rather unloved by humans who tend to regard them as pests at best and disease vectors at worst. 2019 is international Year of the Fly, and dipterists and entomologists around the world are working to raise the profile of the many thousands of species so far known to science. Erica tells Jim about her work in the museum, cataloguing and identifying new species either sent in from other researchers or discovered by her and her colleagues on swashbuckling trips around the world. Modern gene sequencing techniques are revealing new chapters in the life histories of species, and her collection of 300 year old dead flies continues to expand our knowledge of how the world works. Perhaps in the future, she argues, we will all be eating pasta and bread made from fly-larvae protein, or using small tea-bag like packets of maggots in our wounds to clean out gangrenous infection. Producer: Alex Mansfield

As you unwrap a Halloween candy or two, it's worth paying your respects to the real reason for many of the treats: a tiny fly whose trick is to make chocolate possible.  "They're all in the family Ceratopogonidae, which is the biting midges family. But not all of the adults bite. How we usually do it is we call them 'Cerats.'" Erica McAlister is a fly scientist at the Natural History Museum of London, and author of The Secret Life of Flies. The "cerats"—related to no-see-ums—do a job that's very hard to get done by hand: they crawl through long, twisty cacao flowers, pollinating the stubborn cacao tree. Which produces the beans used to make chocolate. "They are really, really difficult to pollinate. So you do need these little things to do it."And to McAlister, at least, the tiny midges are a beautiful sight to behold. "They look like a very tiny mosquito, but they are basically absolutely covered in hair, they're very beautiful, very hirsute little organisms. And the males have got the most—they look like feather duster antennae. He's got to not only smell for the female, he's listening. And his ears are on the antennae. They're not very robust, these things, they're tiny, as the name implies. They've got nice external genitalia for the boys… I don't know what else you want me to say " Well, here's the bad news: The chocolate midges are in danger, as farmers clear out shade-grown rainforest plots, in favor of sunnier monocultures of cacao. That threatens the tiny flies, which need the damp rotting leaf litter of the forest floor to thrive. But some producers are taking notice. "Obviously our human demand for chocolate has gone up, so now a lot more research is going into fly pollinators, including these as well."As for McAlister? She won't be joining you on that chocolate binge. "I can't stand it. Revolting stuff."—Christopher Intagliata [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

As you unwrap a Halloween candy or two, it's worth paying your respects to the real reason for many of the treats: a tiny fly whose trick is to make chocolate possible.  "They're all in the family Ceratopogonidae, which is the biting midges family. But not all of the adults bite. How we usually do it is we call them 'Cerats.'" Erica McAlister is a fly scientist at the Natural History Museum of London, and author of The Secret Life of Flies. The "cerats"—related to no-see-ums—do a job that's very hard to get done by hand: they crawl through long, twisty cacao flowers, pollinating the stubborn cacao tree. Which produces the beans used to make chocolate. "They are really, really difficult to pollinate. So you do need these little things to do it."And to McAlister, at least, the tiny midges are a beautiful sight to behold. "They look like a very tiny mosquito, but they are basically absolutely covered in hair, they're very beautiful, very hirsute little organisms. And the males have got the most—they look like feather duster antennae. He's got to not only smell for the female, he's listening. And his ears are on the antennae. They're not very robust, these things, they're tiny, as the name implies. They've got nice external genitalia for the boys… I don't know what else you want me to say " Well, here's the bad news: The chocolate midges are in danger, as farmers clear out shade-grown rainforest plots, in favor of sunnier monocultures of cacao. That threatens the tiny flies, which need the damp rotting leaf litter of the forest floor to thrive. But some producers are taking notice. "Obviously our human demand for chocolate has gone up, so now a lot more research is going into fly pollinators, including these as well."As for McAlister? She won't be joining you on that chocolate binge. "I can't stand it. Revolting stuff."—Christopher Intagliata [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

Fruit flies. You may have seen one or two dancing above your fruit bowl. But what about under a microscope?Believe it or not these seemingly insignificant insects have had a long and (dare we say) fruitful history in advancing scientific research.This hour, First in Fly author Dr. Stephanie Mohr joins us to explain why.Later, we also take a deeper look into the realm of so-called “true flies” with London-based "fly girl" Dr. Erica McAlister. Support the show: http://wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will gravity on earth ever change? Why do insects fly towards the light? Is the plasma in a TV the same as plasma in a fusion reactor? Why are mosquito bites so itchy? What does the Higgs boson do for the Universe? In a Q+A special, Marnie Chesterton is joined by scientists Malcolm Fairbairn, Kate Lancaster and Erica McAlister to tackle a selection of questions from the CrowdScience inbox. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Alex Mansfield (Photo: Alates insects light bulb and night. Credit: Getty Images)

Dan, Anna, Andy and special guest Dr Erica McAlister discuss sperm whale-sized sperm, real-life Home Alone security measures, and why you've never really heard Churchill's famous speeches.

Erica McAlister is in charge of the diptera (two-winged insects) collections at London’s Natural History Museum. An entomologist with a lifelong passion for flies and their peculiar behaviours, Erica shares her ideas about science, craftsmanship and involving the public in her work.

In 1714 Bernard de Mandeville published his provocative Fable of the Bees, in which he explored the relationship between morality and economic wealth. As part of Radio 3's 18th Century season of programming, Matthew Sweet chairs a discussion with the Natural History Museum's Dr Erica McAlister, Southampton University economic historian Dr Helen Paul, finance journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4's Money Box Paul Lewis and Stephen Davies, Education Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs. They reflect on Mandeville's fable and how it relates to economics and the organisation of society today.

Rana Mitter talks to Susannah Clapp with the first review of the National Theatre's production of 'Othello', starring Adrian Lester as the Moor. According to David Boyle's new book, 'Broke', something is killing off the middle classes and to discuss this are Selina Todd and Mark Littlewood. The literary biographer Richard Holmes has taken to the air in his latest book - a history of ballooning and its pioneers. And, as "Who's the Pest?" brings a season of insect inspired events to the Wellcome Collection in London, Rana is joined by Mark Moffett, and Erica McAlister to discuss the hidden virtues of insects.