How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!

How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!

From Chemistry For Your Life by Melissa and Jam, Bleav

March 12, 2026 · 40 min · Episode 233

About this episode

This episode explores the science behind how birds fly and the chemistry involved in the process.

Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing down? And what’s happening at the molecular level when a bird takes off? Let’s talk about feathers, airflow, collisions between air molecules, and why the way flight is usually explained might not actually be the whole story.

Topics covered

  • birds
  • flight
  • Bernoulli's principle
  • airflow
  • molecular level
  • feathers

Keywords

  • chemistry
  • aviation
  • physics
  • air molecules

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