Metamorphosis

How insects are changing our world

By: Erica McAlister with Adrian Washbourne

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. + Full description

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.

Praise for Metamorphosis:
"Combining charm, humour and a museum worth of facts, this is a brilliant read that will change your thinking towards our insect friends."
Dr Bryan Lessard a.k.a. Bry the Fly Guy, award winning entomologist, science communicator and children's author

- Short description

News

Sales in Australia and New Zealand only. Elsewhere, this title is available through The Natural History Museum (external link).

Reviews

"Combining charm, humour and a museum worth of facts, this is a brilliant read that will change your thinking towards our insect friends."
Dr Bryan Lessard a.k.a. Bry the Fly Guy, award winning entomologist, science communicator and children's author

"This book is a fine example of engaging science communication – illustrating the sense of achievement, excitement and relevance of both pure and applied entomology, which is both very inspiring to current researchers and to those that might be thinking about entomology as a career. Congratulations to the authors on a great read! "
Andrew Wakeham-Dawson, Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 160: 304, October 2024

"[Metamorphosis] takes the reader on a fascinating journey examining some common, yet amazing insects, along with the scientists who have studied them. […] The chapters are each stand-alone vignettes, so easy to read one at a time while riding the train to work or over a morning cup of tea."
Kathy Ebert, News Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Queensland, April 2024

"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."
Maren Ostergard, Booklist, 1 March 2024

"McAlister and Washbourne have produced a wonderful book, one that’ll certainly appeal to insect enthusiasts, but also one that deserves to be read more widely"
Gary Harris, Society for Insect Studies Circular 228, April 2024

"Each chapter includes lots of truly fascinating material on the history of the discoveries and some remarkable people (not all men) who made them, and others who could see the potential there for imaginative adaptations of these marvels."
Ian Fraser, Natural History Reviews #33, April 2024

Details

Hardback | April 2024 | $ 34.99
ISBN: 9781486318902 | 216 pages | 195 x 130 mm
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
B&W photographs, Colour photographs, Illustrations

Features

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
Inspired by the BBC Radio 4 series 'Metamorphosis'
Erica McAlister is the author of the acclaimed The Secret Life of Flies and The Inside Out of Flies

Introduction
Chapter One: Jumping Jack flash
Chapter Two: Mighty mouthparts
Chapter Three: Drosophila melanogastronauts
Chapter Four: Cycles of change
Chapter Five: Blowfly detectives
Chapter Six: Dazzling disguise
Chapter Seven: The ultimate upcyclers
Chapter Eight: Namib fog harvester
Chapter Nine: Bee brain intelligence
Chapter Ten: The nerve of a cockroach
Concluding remarks
Further reading
Index
Picture credits
Acknowledgements

Authors

Erica McAlister is Curator of Diptera at the Natural History Museum, London. She is the author of the acclaimed books The Secret Life of Flies and The Inside Out of Flies.

Adrian Washbourne is an award-winning producer for BBC Radio 4.