Review by Choice Review
This book co-authored by entomologist Erica McAlister (Natural History Museum, London) and radio producer Adrian Washbourne aims to change readers' perceptions about insects through an enthralling amalgamate of stories that combine entomological science, the natural world, and history. Structured into ten concise chapters, this work highlights various insect groups, exploring their unique biological traits and historical significance. Noteworthy topics include the biomechanics of flea jumping, Darwin's predictions regarding hawkmoths, the relevance of blowflies in forensic entomology, and iridescence and countershadowing as an insect disguise. Modern applications of entomology, such as robotic innovations inspired by insects and sustainable food practices involving black soldier flies are addressed. While those applications show a contemporary angle, the book's strength lies in its historical narratives, including the pioneering work of figures like Miriam Rothschild, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, Abbott Thayer, Thomas Hunt Morgan, Margaret Fountaine, Maria Sybilla Merian, Charles Valentine Riley, and the animal cognition pioneer Charles Henry Turner, an African American entomologist and civil rights activist. Despite a few factual mistakes, this treatise flourishes in making the history of entomology attainable and engaging--appealing to entomology, history of science, and natural history enthusiasts. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Jorge M. Gonzalez, Austin Achieve Public Schools
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In this engaging book, entomologist and curator McAlister and producer and science writer Washbourne investigate how the study of modern entomological wonders contributes to various human innovations. Readers will appreciate that the introduction provides a history of taxonomy and explains how species are named in the text. Each chapter explores a different insect, profiling the scientists who have studied it and sharing the modern developments resulting from their study. The book covers topics such as the investigation of hawkmoths and their long proboscises as inspiration in creating medical nanoprobes, and the study of beetles in the Namib Desert that harvest water from fog, of interest to engineers developing new ways of harvesting smog that could reduce water scarcity. The writing is accessible and full of humor; a cassette of flies packaged to be sent into space is described as "the best mix-tape there is." More than 80 eye-catching color images contribute to the book's appeal. The authors are entertaining storytellers and have written a fascinating and often amusing account of how the study of insects has shaped history and continues to lead to remarkable discoveries.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
