Insects - Successful Models of Evolution: Fascinating and Threatened

In the course of evolution, insects have developed an almost unbelievable variety of shapes and functional sophistication. The design of their exoskeleton is so imaginative and unusual, often even bizarre, that one can only marvel. The fact that insects can find design solutions for any problem, no matter how special, makes them extremely successful. They have thus become crucial links in the complex networks of nature. Impressive macro photographs and informative scanning electron-optical images provide an insight into the wealth of forms, beauty and function of the six-legged creatures. Fascinating texts accompany the pictures and explain, among other things, how the great diving beetle uses vertebrate hormones as knock-out drops when attacked by fish, the pine moth beetle locates distant forest fires, the bombardier beetle emits pulsed explosions with its firing apparatus or the blue butterfly caterpillar glamours ants. Insects play a crucial role in the ecosystems of our planet. Man-made environmental destruction is interfering with these cycles in a sensitive way. This endangers the survival of insects, with dramatic consequences for us humans as well.

Werner Gnatzy 1961-1966 Studied biology, chemistry and sport for the higher teaching profession at grammar schools at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. First state examination in 1966, doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) in 1970, habilitation in 1975, also in Mainz, in zoology with functional morphological studies on insect species. From 1975 to 2006 professor at the Zoological Institute of the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Since 2006 lectures at the U3L.

Jürgen Tautz is one of Germany's leading bee researchers, a retired professor at the Biocentre of the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg and the author of numerous books, including the bestseller The Buzz about Bees and Communication Between Honeybees. His writing and popular lectures have twice been honoured by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) who included him among the best scientists in Europe in communicating science to the public. Furthermore, he received the prestigious Communicator Award of the German Research Foundation. As gifted communicator and leading scientist, Juergen Tautz has much in common with Carl Sagan, Richard P Feynman, Konrad Lorenz, Vince Dethier and others famous for their work in popularizing science and making it accessible to all.