GEORGE NEWS - The Wilderness Ratepayers and Residents Association (WRRA) will be hosting another talk on Friday 7 July with guest speaker, Professor Marcus Byrne, a zoologist.
Byrne has been a member of the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University since 1986, where he teaches zoology and entomology. He conducts research on insects used to control invasive alien plants.
He also works on orientation and navigation in dung beetles to understand how small brains have evolved to solve complex problems.
Byrne has been fascinated by these enigmatic animals for more than 30 years, after first being introduced to them as biocontrol agents for dung breeding flies in Australia.
Since then, he has collaborated with many scientists from around the world to unpick the evolutionary threads of their past, woven into the bodies and behaviour of the most industrious of scarabs. He now appreciates why the ancient Egyptians elevated the dung beetle to the status of a god.
Using pictures and videos this talk will consider how dung beetles have influenced human lives for millennia, then reverse the viewpoint to explore how humans now affect dung beetles.
Using recent research, the beetles’ lifecycle will be examined, from their dietary choices through to how some beetles remember their way home, but get confused by our lights. Discussion of our changing relationship with these enigmatic creatures is encouraged.
Byrne is not all about the science, he also knows how to entertain and keep it light-hearted. In 2013, he and a few colleagues won the Ig Nobel Prize for his research on dung beetles.
The aim of the Ig Nobel Prize is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think".
For a taste of what you can expect, go have a look at his TED Talk.
Join WRRA at Fairy Knowe Hotel at 18:00 for 18:30 for an opportunity to learn and laugh.
Entrance fee: R10 for members, R20 for non-members.
There is a cash bar, as well as opportunities to connect with interesting people.
For more details, contact Tam Grobbelaar 079 386 4697 or tam.grobbelaar@gmail.com.
Prof Marcus Byrne
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