Look Up! The Billion-Bug Highway You Can't See

[spurcross]

Love the end music starting @ 2:58. Does anyone know who does it?

Loved the entire video, as well.

[QPopz]

How'd they know that there are bugs there? I can't imagine them flying around with a net at 19,000 ft.

[Phaze252]

I do believe this would be problematic if we were to ever create a flying car highway.

[gamesbok]

.6 of a mile is idiot code for 1Km.

[fitz6351]

the number they found, THREE.....just three actually....shit

[MrMilkman29]

I wonder how many bug splaters a plane has in its windows after every flight

[monkeyfuzz1234]

They say ".6 mile column of air" and then they draw a square and writes ".6 miles radius". The term radius is only applied to circular objectes. The square drawing is probably a miss interpritation from the "graphic department".

.6 miles = 965.6064 meters. Both numbers seams strange for arbitrary numbers. My guess is that it is based on a 1000 meters radius, which is a much more even arbitrary number to work with. 0.62137 miles (1km) was rounded to 0.6 miles

Based on this; 88.7 bugs/sq ft

[SeanneryConnery]

@monkeyfuzz1234 yeah....meters...seeing how it was british scientists eh? not a hard one to figure out w/o doing any math really

[PeppoMusic]

I calculated the number of 3 billion he mentioned, with how many insects per square feet that would be, and it's actually pretty low. You'll find much more insects on the ground. Using a height o f 1300 feet as a height and the 6 miles square, you actually end up with roughly 1 insect every 12 square feet!

[PeppoMusic]

@PeppoMusic

Whoops the 12 is the meters square, I meant 40 square feet.

[KyleDixon88]

@PeppoMusic

They distance given was 0.6 square miles, not 6 miles...

[PeppoMusic]

@KyleDixon88

Oh whoops! Thanks for the correction, darn that makes quite the different number.

[99hunt3rz]

Its snow here thers no bugs up there now! :D

[BrenTank1996]

everybody close your mouths! bugs coming down! xD

[frickfrock999]

Flying spiders?

We're screwed.

[TomsGuns]

WOW BUTTERFLIES

[Garuda1337]

Fuck insects in the sky. What's even more amazing is the fact that there are fucking PEOPLE moving the speeds faster than sound, at altitudes even HIGHER. Man is nature's greatest creation. 

[pocaluz85]

@Garuda1337 And how does that apply to anything in the video or concern anyone here?

[virtuosoikingpin]

@Garuda1337 I just hope that we as humans can keep evolving and use our expanding intelligence to outlive our solar system,and hopefully our galaxy.

[TheOriginalEntz]

@Garuda1337 apart from the ISS insects fly way above humans

[renkinjutsu01]

Now I wonder how the windshield of airplanes look like

[krayziejackson00]

how did they find that terminate? flying by in a plane?

[47Indigo47]

Dog embarrassed by his new shoes.

[regoooooooooooo]

If so then how come when airplanes come down they aren't spattered with bugs?

[Keither9]

do they poop

[Axl3y]

No sources = not true.

And no, "a team in britain" is not a source.

[HybridSpaceMonkey]

@Axl3y

Go to the website (npr.org) and search for the article/animation there. You'll find that it cites several different sources.

[go4flowers]

i cant believe it' is this really true? omg.

[blackmen1223]

Ilove this!

[Icyang90]

OMG..

[W0LFVISI0N]

Is this true? If so.. wow

[Mantharious]

This sounds like a lot of bullshit

[fuzzymugs]

I find no such figures on the interwebz.

[jimbob615]

i don't believe this... prove it

[P0PaCap]

Thats amazing thank you for the information.

[Jae3G]

yo Butterflies are racist, they never come that close to blck ppl!

[sinefinehabitarevolo]

Ew im not opening my mouth while skydiving!!

[harijoel]

holy monkeys

[harijoel]

holy shit!!!!

[JewishGun]

That was More interesting than most of the Crap in Discovery channel.

[javisan14]

I always wonder how high insects fly , I would have never guess it was this high..

[RaNdOmSoNgLiStEnEr]

That Is Really Intresting (: 

[twgirl1]

twgirl

[illman12]

How tha hell did spiders manage to get up there?

[OSCCNV]

@illman12 by making a parachute looking thingy of their web

[sinefinehabitarevolo]

@illman12 They shoot a strand of web into a drift of wind and they get carried away. A lot of them won't make it that high.

[usaswim323]

What an adventurous termite.

[BlueGarries]

WOW

[VEGETADTX]

Very nice short film :)

[HaliFins]

Amazingly well done and interesting! I love these clips you stumble over that's a little more "special" than the usual crap you come across. Thanks!

[Mewi987]

i wasted 1min of my life thanks alot

[TheKasder]

Makes me want to cover my head each time i go out.

Dont want insects to drop on me. XD "splad"

[Injomniac]

i looked up but i cant see anything.

but when i use telescope i see moon

but when i use binocular i see insects.

:)

[lucixlr8]

Why would i look up if i cant see anything?

[serna3287]

very nice video.

[yhcyhc]

so in the future, if we have flying cars, we will hit so many bugs lol

[1grandmajoyce]

Interesting

[Wuhzman]

@ilyar3000 what a crappy video that was

[D0NTdoDRUG]

very interesting, very intersesting

[iunno]

sounded like an auction in some parts of this video, 14,000, going 14,000 anyone anyone? 15,000!!!15,000 feet! and the winner? at 19,000 the termite!!!

[KarmasABiash]

now i feel bad for killing that bee today XD and squashing a few termites...and killing those flying ants XD

[09824750923845702938]

this amazing piece of art is the most beautiful thing i saw in the whole day (appart from my mother). fuck i need a girlfriend. anyway, tyvm.

[DrAgonBull2all]

Now this is much more interesting that lady gaga things.... ...

[SykoAzn26]

imagine if they had bombs

[orianthi2010]

Nicely done. I enjoyed watching it very much. :P

[ChunkyChin]

wow i never knew that haha. oh yeah the guy sounds like the narrator for the disney movies

[longestnameuwillsee1]

i see chemtrails in the sky not bugs...

[SaysDaniel]

I don't see clouds when I look at the sky, i see smoke and green fog.

[Smullet90]

@SaysDaniel

Live in California?

[MrXarlable]

Superb animation.

[matthew21302]

wow! intresting!

[MacFadden01]

I know that voice! Its Robert Krulwich from radio lab!!!

[aznsketcher]

wow, very interesting.

[iammtee]

bug in the air we got bug in the air

[RandomDude5421]

so it is possible for planes to have road kill!! or should i say air kill? sky kill? idk lol

[WeaverTube1]

This is the most terrifying information I've ever uncovered on the internet.

[ImEpicRay]

Wow spiders in the air. EPIC!

[pearl09500]

@ImEpicRay  lol..

[matthew21302]

@ImEpicRay right! coooooooool

[casey1234schoch]

really cool

[tomitomi891]

wow there is a reason why to look at the sky now :D

[andrewc2768]

Shouldn't the area indicated by .6 mile RADIUS be circular, not square shaped? You showed a picture of .6 mile square. May seem picky but this is a science show, so don't you think the column should be cylindrical?

[chronousnemesis]

nice! i didn't know there was a highway up in the sky.

[willluvsthe411]

WILLLUVSTHE411 HERE ON YOUTUBE!!

[markk1411]

@willluvsthe411 

[pamwinslow]

Here's your entomology lesson for the day. I hate bugs.

[REALoFAKE]

I had no idea! So cool!

[rebornl]

kill them all! or use some kind of hullucination gas that will make bugs kills other bugs, but i do find this fascinating, reminds me when in avatar the last airbender when aang is up in the air and there's bigs up there

[RedSpike100]

wow, i'll never c the sky the same way

[roflcoptergoesscisci]

funny moments for a plane to bo by and hit a bug 0:43 0:55 1:07 1:29 1:48 2:18 dont get mad just to see how many... ironic lolz of the truth this is wat happens when a plane goes by

[vicioussion]

he just say insects are animals?

[awsomeman3000]

i feel bad for superman when he lys to save ppl lol

[PiefaceclownPrdctns]

Fire the anti-air guns!!!

[onceuponadream24]

ahhh, that was so sweet. I love npr!

[bevthorne]

UMM THATS ALOT OF BUGS!!! wow my sister would freak if she saw this.....

[ihottie15]

IM NEVER GOING OUTSIDE AGAIN.

[hipogastric]

real pics or GTFO

[TheOldNavy101]

lol if i go sky diving and a spider lands on me i think i would land on the ground without my parachute being touched...

[AmberLopez333]

interesting

[batchint]

haha you never see sticky things on the pilots window view

cause it goes to fast spose

[elredecking]

very interesting,,,,,,,muy interesante,,,,,,,,and plus i can say i learn something thanks for the video...

[ToneBacas]

good presentation. this is very interesting.

[TheHarbi006]

cool

[vickyboy96]

wow..... interesting video! 

[brecht181]

wow, can't believe I didn't know many things that happened in this video. Spiders 12000ft. in the air? Wow, this video was very interesting.

[Starlion415]

I will never go skydiving again...

[roubs69]

wonderful

[edyzzs]

would be good for my kid.. i will take..

[justas8111]

Damn nature, you SCARY!!

[bigvi]

Im going to need a bigger bug swatter.

[andreaszzz]

cooooooooooooooool

[mtoussieh]

Well, which are your SOURCES to quote all those numbers? So, you made a great video explaining all this, but how do I know you are right and accurate about it?

[123121s1]

flying spiders simply isn't true

[sunbakedglory]

@123121s1 they are, ive seen them in the a doctumentary called 'the most extream',

they came in no. 1 for the most migrating insect (in terms of distance)

[whattheheckevr]

All Know 1 Universal God Exists.

[LASTTOPGUN]

Can make butter from butter flys?

[petsnrocks]

On my channel you'll find awesome trailers and funny videos, and what's more, I'll Subscribe back!

[itsMinuteMaid]

I'm 'bout to Tweet this

[mrmts]

I don't know how much of this I believe since the temperature @ 10000 ft is -5 C and gets colder the higher you go.

[mrmts]

@ojed86 And you have?

[alex2008ss]

i have a video about teens life

[GrisDismation]

Like the style, Cool!

[adams656]

3000000000 (insects)/30.4 (average days in a month)/16727040 (square feet in a sqaure mile*.6)/24 (hours in a day) = .25. So, about 1 insect passes over you every four hours, if I'm doing the math right. Not as impressive as their 3 billion insects per month figure.

[SoloHero]

The fact that are spider just floating around in the sky makes my skin crawl.

[srs713]

So that is one more thing pilots have in common with motorcyclists.

[tunnelneverends]

who wants to go sky diving with me in the spring?

[warkopcakmat123]

okeeee bossss

[FascistLetterOpener]

I think SMBC did a comic about this a while ago...

[Tharkun]

Does put a crimp in any flight fantasies you might have, doesn't it? (Hi, Goblins readers!)

[Kbcamaster42]

@Tharkun I didn't consider this problem too. (Hi!)

[Kalutikat]

@Tharkun I'm going to have to wear a helmet then =/

(Hey there Thunt.)

[Candleknight]

@Tharkun meh, nothing a pair of goggles and a toothbrush can't fix 8P

[kidsuper0pwn]

so this is where they come from! :)

[MrWolfengard]

I've seen the spiders before... saw one descending on a thread.

[TangyTangoJuice]

oh god, this is scary, this is so gross, oh god i hate bugs omfg, oh god

[MaBuSt]

Is this real? this is awsome!

[gunnlover]

I can vouch for it i live on the 16th floor of a high rise and my window screen especially at night is covered with bugs and insects.

[readallen]

i dont believe half of this video info

[tarantarans]

Fascinating. I'd rather have most bugs up there than splattered on my windshield. ;)

[gregpr]

Wow, it was really good. It's very interesting. / Wow, es muy bueno. Es muy interesante.

[Starfighter9397]

Two of my great loves..... NPR and YouTube..... combines in one.....  its almost too much to take!

Thank You NPR!

[tarantarans]

@Starfighter9397 LOL! Me too! I was so ecstatic when I discovered that they have a YT channel. I wish they'd post more...a LOT more. My local affiliate station, KPBS, has a YT channel too.

[Starfighter9397]

@tarantarans I love KPBS! It was the first NPR station I ever listened to, back when I used to live in the area, I've been hooked ever since. Thanks for the info about their YT channel!