The creepy crawly story of life on Earth

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Why do we give flowers rather than stink bugs to loved ones? (Image: Dwi Janto Johan/Getty Images)


Mammals are normally considered the stars of the evolution show, but insects should be centre stage, says Scott Richard Shaw in Planet of the Bugs


THE evolutionary history of life on Earth is usually told from a vertebrate-centric point of view: the progression from fish to amphibians to reptiles to mammals to apes, culminating with humans.


But Scott Richard Shaw wants none of that. Mammals, he writes in Planet of the Bugs, are "just one unlikely sidebar on the history of life". The main story is about the millions of species of insects that dominate the planet, both in number and in ecological importance. So Shaw provides an insect-centred view of life's evolution. Chapter by chapter, he moves through the great geologic periods, providing each one with an entomological spin.


Thus the Silurian period, traditionally regarded as an "Age of Fishes" is recast as the time when insects' ancestors became the first animals to venture on to land. The Jurassic, famed for its huge, long-necked dinosaurs, achieves its real fame for Shaw as the birthdate of wasps, a vastly more diverse group of animals.


As he describes this buggy flowering of life, Shaw manages to introduce us to most of the major groups of insects, so that his chronological story becomes a taxonomic one as well. Although he occasionally gets a bit technical – assuming readers will understand terms like "stromatolite" and "vascular plant" – most of the book is accessible and entertaining.


Now and then, Shaw's unusual perspective on life can be delightfully askew: why, he asks, do we give our loved ones flowers instead of stink bugs, when many of the latter are just as colourful and sweet-smelling?


Overall, readers should come away with a deeper appreciation of insect diversity, and a fresh regard for evolution's sweep.


This article appeared in print under the headline "A bug's view"


Bob Holmes is a consultant for New Scientist


Issue 2987 of New Scientist magazine


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