Now for something completely different!!
If you are like me, and are fascinated by all animal species, then I just know this is going to be a treat for you – albeit a rather ‘left-field’ one!
Dr Erica McAlister is senior Curator of Diptera (Flies) and Siphonaptera (Fleas) at the Natural History Museum, London and has been working there for over 15 years. Her research focuses on describing new species of Robber flies from Australia and flies from Dominica, a bat-fly project looking at relationships between the bats and their parasites, again from Dominica, and historic genome recovery from museum mosquitoes collections. (Which makes me think of Jurassic Park!!)
Erica has published two popular science books on flies, as well as appearing on numerous podcasts, radio and TV programs. She is the president of the Amateur Entomology Society of the UK, an active member of the Dipterists Forum and was elected honorary fellow of the Royal Entomological Society – and what she doesn’t know about flies isn’t worth knowing!
So… grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of something else – it is that time of year, after all!), take a little break from dogs for a while and indulge yourself in a humorous and fascinating new world. From the tips of their antennae to the end of their abdomens, Erica will introduce to you what flies are like inside and out.. and talk about why we should care about them.