Are scientists any closer to reconciling the laws of thermodynamics and a bumblebee's ability to fly?

Question

I've heard it said for years that according to the laws of thermodynamics, a bumblebee should not be able to fly. Has scientific knowledge increased enough to explain the discrepancy?

Answer 1

You mean Aerodynamics. "should not be able to fly" is somewhat of an exaggeration, and full of hubris that scientists should today be able to explain every natural wonder. "is not understood" is more appropriate. I recall a complex simulation being performed a few years ago that shed some light on it. The funny thing about life is that it evolves according to its own sometimes inscrutable engineering principles, with little regard for our own.

Answer 2

The problem is that you've heard 'stupid' people for years saying that bumblebee's can't etc. etc. As with all of these urban legends, if a bee flying breaks the laws of THERMODYNAMICS then this would be the most studied and talked about phenomenon in modern science. Anytime some common act is said to 'break the laws of' remember this: humans didn't come up with these laws, we just noticed them and gave them a name. Thermodynamics isn't a law that man imposes upon nature, it's a law that nature imposes upon man.

Answer 3

The non-flying bumblebee thing is the scientific equivalent of an urban legend - it is not true. It only applies if our formula assumes static wings. (It's nothing to do with thermodynamics by the way)

In other words, a plane with a bee-shaped fuselage and proportionally sized wings would not be able to fly.

People who perpetrate the urban legend conveniently forget that a bee is able to move its wings - extremely quickly! Thus, the formula does not apply, and bees - as we can plainly see - can fly.

Answer 4

this was asked recently, with some good responses

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsSQwJ4gxCr1WI33sD2wH5gjzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20061114075141AAc64GI