WE always lived parallel lives, it seems. Houseflies and hominids both began to evolve after our planet was struck by an asteroid, some 66 million years ago. Provoking a surge of ‘new life’, the period is known as Cenozoic, so named in 1874 by English geologist John Phillips, from two Greek words (kainos for new, zoe for life).
The common housefly, Musca domestica, is thought to have originated on the steppes of Central Asia, but latched on to the development and expansion of human activity and habitation, thriving on the waste materials created by Man and his animals. It is the world’s most widely distributed insect, accompanies humanity on every continent and is one of 125,000 global species of the order Diptera, but accounts for 90% of all the flies we encounter during warm weather in this country. In socio-biological terms, we are commensal. There is no escape.
Common—too common—it may be, but the ubiquitous housefly boasts considerable natural skills. Its pair of wings beats at a rate of 20,000 times per minute and, although it flies at a mere 5mph, its mid-air avoi-dances are more than pure aerobatics. Studies of tethered flies have revealed vision psychophysics that provide the fly’s two prominent, red, 4,000-facet eyes, plus its three simpler eyes, with an exceptional ‘flicker fusion rate’.
This is the frequency at which intermittent light stimulus is perceived and, in the humble fly, as in some other winged insects, this is about seven times higher than human perception. For the fly, this effectively turns into clumsy slow motion our earnest endeavours with a rolled-up newspaper.
Denne historien er fra September 16, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 16, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery