Metamorphosis How insects are changing our world

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.