Bumblebee argument

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The "bumblebee argument", in pseudoscience, states that the laws of aerodynamics prove that the bumblebee can't fly, as it does not have the required capacity (in terms of wing area or flapping speed). Consequently, therefore, science can be shown to be in error, providing a loophole for pseudoscientific "explanations".

Unfortunately (for the pseudoscientists), the laws of physics do not in any way forbid bumblebee flight; there are no papers that deny bumblebee flight, and no scientist has done so in a lecture, except, perhaps, ironically.

The origin of the statement is lost in the mists of time, but one version says that it was made by French entomologist August Magnan in 1934, based on calculations by his assistant, an engineer.[1] Other versions suggest that the bumblebee could not fly according to the principles of fixed-wing aerodynamics; that is to say, it must flap its wings. In fact. bumblebees simply flap harder than other insects, increasing the amplitude of their wing strokes to achieve more lift, and use a figure-of-eight wing motion to create low-pressure vortices to pull them up.

It is a similar concept to the idea that a kangaroo can't exist because jumping would consume more energy that it could possibly get from eating. Of course, the kangaroo does exist as much as the bumblebee flies - calculations to prove that it can't jump don't take into account the mechanics of the legs acting as springs. Arguments like these are occasionally used by creationists to claim that it's impossible for bees to be a product of evolution, though they're quite common in more general anti-science circles that like to cry "look at science, it knows nothing!"

[edit] Mike Huckabee and the bumblebee

While campaigning for the 2008 presidential nomination Mike Huckabee demonstrated the "depth" of his scientific knowledge when he said:

"It's scientifically impossible for the bumblebee to fly; but the bumblebee, being unaware of these scientific facts, flies anyway."[2]

[edit] External Links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. Bumblebee flight explained
  2. Huckabee the bumblebee
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