The Inside Out of Flies is a look under the bonnet at the astonishing mechanics of fly anatomy. Erica McAlister reveals the engineering miracles embodied in numerous species of fly and some of the fascinating implications they hold for human technology. Discover the physics of the mysterious ‘scuba diving fly’, marvel at the venomous horse fly larvae which prey on frogs, and glimpse the golden ratio in these creatures’ spiral flight patterns. McAlister touches on the emerging field of biomimetics – the study of evolutionary adaptations to devise new technology – and anticipates everything from medical needles based on the mosquito’s proboscis to hearing aids inspired by Ormia ochracea, a tiny fly with ears on its thorax. At every juncture she uncovers unique and surprising science lessons encapsulated in the form and function of the humble fly.

Erica McAlister
　　Erica McAlister Hon.FRES is an entomologist, museum curator and presenter in the United Kingdom.She is an expert in flies (Diptera) and is senior curator at the Natural History Museum, London.She is a past President of the Amateur Entomologists' Society.
　　McAlister had a fascination for insects as a child and became seriously interested in entomology on a field course as part of her undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester,during which she did placements at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (now UKCEH) and the University of Adelaide in Australia. She graduated from Manchester in 1996 and then moved to the University of Surrey, Roehampton (now University of Roehampton) where she was awarded a PhD in 2002 for community ecology research at The London Wetland Centre. After volunteering at the Natural History Museum, lecturing part-time at the University of Roehampton and working elsewhere in the evenings, she joined the museum as a curator of Diptera in 2006, where her current position is senior curator of Diptera and Siphonaptera.