Metamorphosis: How insects are changing our world

Erica McAlister with Adrian Washbourne, Metamorphosis: How insects are changing our world (2024). CSIRO Publishing, Hardback, 216 pages.

Delve into the weird and wondrous world of insects, and what we can learn from them.

Insects are incredibly weird. Their morphology is about as alien to us as you can get without leaving this planet. They outnumber us 200 million to one. Before humans stamped their mark on this planet, insects had shaped it into the colourful and extraordinary world we all share today.

Whether it’s the astonishing properties of resilin, the protein that makes fleas jump; the proboscis of the mosquito’s mouth being used to develop smart needles; or the computational dynamics gleaned from studying locust swarms in Africa – Erica McAlister and Adrian Washbourne reveal the wonder of insects, the historical figures who have made great breakthroughs in understanding them, and the increasingly vital role they play in ensuring life, as we know it, continues.

• A treasure trove of remarkable insect discoveries that promise to transform many branches of science
• Features intriguing stories of scientists’ journeys of discovery and the insects that they championed
• Each chapter is devoted to a species, with the text covering fleas, mosquitoes, moths, butterflies, locusts, blowflies, bees, and cockroaches.
• Packed with fascinating illustrations and photographs of museum specimens and insects in the wild
• Erica McAlister is the author of the acclaimed The Secret Life of Flies and The Inside Out of Flies