When I grow up, I want to be Terry Gross (the host and interviewer on the NPR show, Fresh Air). She’s got to have the best job in the world. For those of you who are fans of the show, you know that Terry Gross interviews the world’s most interesting people – from politicians, to artists, to scientists, to authors, to musicians, to entertainers. And she’s so good at it. She asks the best questions and always gets the full story.
She didn’t let me down this month when she interviewed Doug Emlen (University of Montana) who is an entomologist who studies dung beetles and has become an expert in insect weaponry. Dr. Emlen described the creatures he studies and their amazing horns – so elaborate and intricate. He walked Terry through a vivid description of the beetle’s turf battles and how they use their fancy armor to protect, defend, and establish sexual dominance. His tales of collecting dung beetle specimens from around the world were entertaining and delightful.
Past Fresh Air episodes are all available online as podcasts. Here is a link to the 40-minute interview with Emlen. You can also find some amazing video of the dung beetles fighting. And Dr. Emlen’s web site includes a gallery of gorgeous photos of the beetles he studies.
This stuff is like biological bon bons.