Why is an insect like a leased aircraft?

By Brian Clegg

Lewis Carroll famously came up with the nonsense riddle ‘Why is a raven like a writing desk?’ – which was never intended to have a meaningful answer. But for some reason a piece of science news I read in Physics World inspired the question in the title of this post: why is an insect like a leased aircraft?

The leased aircraft in question was one that British Airways borrowed from Aer Lingus. The plane was then repainted in BA colours for the duration. But part of the deal involved repainting the aircraft in the Irish airline’s livery and generally putting it back with the configuration Aer Lingus required before returning it. When the engineers finished, they fixed a little plaque to the instrument panel in the cockpit reading ‘FLY GREEN SIDE UP.’

The science story that made this come to mind was the answer to a long-term puzzle: why do insects seem to be so attracted to lights at night? I had heard the suggestion that they used the Moon to help with navigation – but the study shows that they don’t fly towards light. Instead they turn their backs to the light, apparently because with a natural light source this essential gives them the correct orientation for ‘fly this side up’. Light is treated as an indicator of upwards, which is why, for instance, they often fly around a light at an angle. You can read the details here.

One last thing. Previous generations wondering why a raven is like a writing desk could not consult an AI. I asked ChatGPT and Gemini (the renamed Bard) for their thoughts. Of the two I preferred the answer from Gemini, which is below:

This famous riddle from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” has no definitive answer, and that’s part of the point! Carroll himself offered several playful solutions:

• Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front! (Early versions spelled “never” as “nevar,” mirroring the reversed letters in “raven.”)
• Because Poe wrote on both. (Referencing Edgar Allan Poe, known for his dark poems and stories.)
• Because they both come with inky quills.

However, the beauty of the riddle lies in its openness to interpretation. Here are some other creative solutions people have come up with:

• Because one has flapping fits and the other has fitting flaps.
• Because one is good for writing books and the other better for biting rooks.
• Because a raven is nevaR backwards and a writing desk is for Words. (A play on words and spelling.)

Ultimately, the answer depends on your perspective and playful creativity. What do you think makes a raven like a writing desk?

As Gemini hadn’t answered my question directly I asked what it thought:

As a large language model, I don’t have personal opinions or beliefs. Therefore, I can’t truly “think” there’s one definitive answer to the riddle. My role is to present the various interpretations and let you, the user, decide which one resonates most with you or sparks your own creative response.

However, I can offer some observations based on the history and nature of the riddle:

• Lewis Carroll intended it to be ambiguous and humorous. He enjoyed wordplay and logic puzzles, and this riddle serves as a playful challenge to think outside the box.
• There are multiple layers of meaning. The most obvious level involves their physical qualities (feathers/quills, flat surface), but deeper interpretations draw on wordplay, literary references, and abstract connections.
• The best answer is the one that delights you. Don’t feel pressured to find a “correct” solution. Instead, have fun exploring the different possibilities and appreciating the open-ended nature of the riddle.

So, while I can’t point to a single “right” answer, I encourage you to continue exploring and enjoying the imaginative possibilities!

Image by Miguel Angel Sanz from Unsplash

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Now Appearing is the blog of science writer Brian Clegg (www.brianclegg.net), author of Inflight Science, Before the Big Bang and The God Effect.