UPFRONT First Person
Professor Marcus Byrne is a zoologist and National Geographic Explorer Who's been a member of the School of Animal Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University since 1986, where he teachas zoology and entomology. He also works on orientation and navigation in dung beetles to understand how little brains have evolved to solve complex problems. He has published a book called The Dance of the Dung Beetles. Scan the QR code to watch his TED Talk of the same name.
Why spend 30 years studying dung beetles? My first response to? Growing up in England, I was fascinated by the natural world. I moved to Joburg to teach and study for an MSc at Wits University. The Australian Dung Beetle Research Unit in Pretoria was recruiting a lab technician. They were sending beetles to Australia as biocontrol agents for dung-breeding flies.
