QnAs with May R. Berenbaum

摘要

Insects and plants often share a complicated relationship, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign entomologist May Berenbaum has a fine understanding of its chemistry. Berenbaum, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, has long studied how insects and plants evolve chemical arsenals to survive, together, pitting cunning defense against toxic offense. Author of a number of popular science books on coevolution, Berenbaum won the 2011 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for her contributions to entomology. Among her many pursuits is an exploration of the likely cause of honey bee die-offs across the United States, an affliction called colony collapse disorder. Berenbaum shares her entomological expertise with PNAS readers to provide a fresh perspective on the disorder and its fallout.