 and welcome to another episode of In the Studio. I'm your host, Lynn Weaver. The program is brought to you by Davis Media Access and broadcast on Davis Community Television, that's Comcast Channel 15 and AT&T U-Verse 99. We're also online at davismedia.org, so log on to our website and check us out. Today's topic is a very interesting one. We are going to talk about the evolution of the insect tribe. Sorry, the evolution of the insect tribe. And my guest today is Emmett Brady. Thank you so much for being here and thank you for your time and for your commitment to our community. Absolutely, it's a pleasure to be here. So I would like you to meet Emmett Brady. He's the producer and the host of two amazing weekly radio shows on 95.7 FM KDRT in Davis, California. Every Wednesday Emmett hosts the Science Double Day from 4 to 6 p.m. From 4 to 5 p.m. he hosts the Insect News Network and from 5 to 6 p.m. he hosts Expanding Science. The Insect News Network also plays on Friday from 12 to 1. As a scientist and entertainer and original thinker and a business person and a public speaker, Emmett introduces himself as a professional cultural entomologist and he might be the only one in the world. He also calls himself an ambassador of the insect tribe. Well, Emmett, tell us about your mission with the Insect News Network. Well, the Insect News Network is a multimedia exploration of the microcosm and we like to take people into the world of insects beyond the creepy and the crawly to the fun, the fascinating, the profound and even the sublime. And that little phrase there is an evolution over several years. It took me a while to come up with the exact wording because I wanted to kind of redefine how people understand our co-evolution and the world we live in as far as the little creatures go, the six and eight-legged creatures. And of course, when I talk about the Insect News Network it covers insects, spiders, anything, all the invertebrates that we have to live with on land. And butterflies too. Butterflies, of course, yeah, yeah. And there's so many different kinds of creatures and their impact that they have on us as a culture is just as important to me as the science of the insects. So I take all the information and all the facts and the figures and I put it onto three platforms which is the practical, the compelling and the sublime. And really what I look into is the kind of blending into an estuary where the sciences of the insects matches with the humanities, the social studies and the arts and how insects have influenced our humanity is just as important as anything that is covered in the sciences except that it's not very well represented. So I try to create a platform both with the radio show with the videos that I do, a lot of the writing that I do so people can express how they think and how they feel about insects and it has been an absolutely mind-blowing ride since I started this. What people have to say is really fascinating. Well, you know, it is fascinating the way you view the world of insects from so many different angles as a scientist, as an artist, as a multimedia producer and also what is fascinating to me is you make the insect world relatable to our world. We're interdependent. I particularly like your website. I think it's a great website and we're going to have a display of Emmett's insect news network home page and he's going to give us a mini tour of what it is and so there we are. Yeah, so what you're looking at is the home page and again it's a pretty much a standard page where we have different sections where people can learn about different aspects but I really try to create a visually engaging website that doesn't just feature insects and the reason why is because a lot of websites about bugs, Facebook pages and blogs focus on the science of the insects which is so, so important but that's only half the story so what I try to do is take all of that and put it into a context that really makes a difference to people and that's how it manifests in the art, in the literature, in the cinema, in the multimedia. I like to tell people that our generation gets to experience the microcosm in a way that no human society has ever been able to do and it's because of the digital era. It's because of new types of photography, new types of videography, the internet and this explosion is happening around the world right now of an interest in insects. For a lot of reasons that are sort of selfish, we have climate change, we have agricultural issues, we have a lot of economic issues but then there's the other side of the insect's story too. The profound influence that they've had on how we think, our emotional states, how we envision ourselves, our dream states, our modern mythology as I like to say, the modern narrative about insects and so this website is really about engaging people with both halves of the brain. That's how I like to put it. Well that's very interesting. I couldn't help but noticing the hexagon that you have on the website. The blue hexagon. Can you tell us a little more about that? Absolutely. That is taking the story to a very personal level for people who have an affinity for insects. That is the symbol of the insect tribe. As you know the hexagon is a very prominent symbol in the insect world. It's the shape of the honeycomb. It's also the shape of the eyes of insects. They have little lenses called omatidium and they're all hexagons. It's a metaphor and it's an actual symbol for the insect tribe. The idea is that when people see that sign I guess the parallel would be like when the bat signal goes up over the city. It's very fantastic and fun but it has a very practical meaning too. The bearer of the insect tribe, hexagon, for instance, is somebody who understands a holistic approach to the human impact in the natural world. They understand that every life form on the planet right now is absolutely equal when it comes to evolution. We tend to see things as a top and bottom sort of this Darwinian hierarchy but in fact that's not how things really work on the planet. When you get into the idea of the insect tribe some of them are scientists, many of them are not, but there are people who understand that our relationship to the natural world is at a critical time and our understanding of how we interact with insects and what an amazing influence they are on us as well. It takes it to the level where we are going to make changes for the future. So I'm codifying the voice of people around the world. People who don't like bugs are very outspoken but I've found that people who really have an affinity, a curiosity or like myself an obsession with the microcosm they come from every walk of life. They defy and incorporate every type of demographic regardless of education, academic level, their religion doesn't matter, where they live doesn't matter. They are all around the world. Well I'm glad you used the term evolution because that's what our topic is about today. So could you elaborate a little bit about the evolution of the insect tribe? What do you mean about that? Well I started in my own career, I started off in the sciences but my experience and exposure to the full context of insects was limited. I do have a degree in biology but in the whole four years of studying I only had two years of insect science. And I think this is a very common theme is that this is the most ubiquitous life form on the planet. Amazing diversity, amazing importance. Some of them are our greatest allies, some of them seem to be mortal enemies, yet they all encompass this idea of wherever humans go the bugs are there as well. They're also very powerful. If we think of the mosquito or the mosquito that brings the dengue fever, I mean they can be lethal. So we are a little bit afraid of them as well. But we forget that they're also very useful to us. Absolutely. And when people have to turn their attention to insects they have to think on a systematic scale. Any individual bug is just like any individual person. How does one person make a difference in seven billion population and growing? It's not the individual bug, it's how they fit into the systems, the ecosystems. It's not the individual person, it's how they fit into society and that's a direct parallel. And more importantly there's this beautiful, poetic, elegant narrative about insects that is historical. It's as ancient as it gets. The oldest cave paintings featuring humans and insects interacting is about 10,000 years old from a cave in Spain. It shows a person harvesting honey. That ancient connection has a modern narrative that just isn't told. And I think it's the digital generation that's showing this in a whole new light. One of my favorite topics for the insect tribe is insect tattoos. And all of you in the insect tribe, I want to see your tattoos. I've been documenting them for the past couple years. And the people who are... It's true, they are very popular. Very popular. Yes. The butterfly tattoo is among the most popular tattoos in the world for women. Yes. Yes. But beyond that, what we need to do is as we're looking at huge issues in our culture of climate change and economic upheaval and the socio-global political climate changing. And agriculture. How we grow our food for an exploding population, the disease control. When we can portray the insects in their proper scale, in a format that ignites the curiosity and the passion and the connection with people around the world, this is the mission of the insect tribe. Well then, people can look to the future, including insects in the global conversation as opposed to trying to eradicate them. They don't go away. That's the point. It sounds fascinating. And you know, as I was thinking about our interview this morning, I couldn't help thinking that it's spring. And spring, it seems like we are much more aware of insects, whether it's bees or butterflies or... Even the ones that most people don't want around. Mosquitoes. Silverfish, cockroaches, all of them come out. So is spring your favorite season? Well, I'm a summer boy. I'm born in August, so I like the summers. Everything's a little bit easier in the summertime. But actually, the spring is a great metaphor for what I think is emerging with the insect tribe. When you see the insects, that's the manifestation of weeks and months of them in another form, either the egg or the larva. And then all of a sudden they come alive as adults and we bring our awareness to them. With the insect tribe, that's how I feel, is that we're putting out the call for people who have this affinity, this obsession with the insects. And they come in all shapes and sizes. That's the amazing thing about it. And we want to bring them into the conversation, give them a platform through the insect news network to express themselves, how they think, how they feel. And it doesn't matter what their medium is. They could have a profession that has nothing to do with insects, but their interest and their affinity for the microcosm will help other people understand it. If you talk about bugs to someone who's not interested in bugs, it's a very alien conversation. If you talk to them in the context of the arts, the humanities, the social studies, then the context becomes something they can relate to. And that's a fascinating point that you're making. And speaking about art and multimedia, I'd like to show our viewers a snippet of a video that you have produced. And it's a video where you explain cultural entomology. And it's the video that you can view on your website. This actually explains the industry that I work in. So why don't we go to that video? Yes, why don't we go in and watch it? Okay, so cultural entomology is the third branch of entomology. You have the academic sciences, which are the oldest and most well established. That's the zoology, the morphology, the natural history, the biology and life cycles. And then you have the applied sciences, which are very important for economics and other reasons, agriculture, pesticides, health and disease control. And then you have this term cultural entomology. It's sort of the lesser known of the three. The term was only really coined a little over 20 years ago by the man who curated the Los Angeles County History Museum, named Charles Hogue. And the thing about cultural entomology, it examines the influence, the parallels and connections between humans and insects. And a day like bug day here at the Random Museum is one of the great examples of how with just a little bit of explanation, a little bit of understanding and a lot of fascination, this entire world of the microcosm opens up for humans. And as we go forward as a civilization, as a society, we have a lot of decisions and choices to make. And the insects can be inspiration for robotics, for biomimicry, engineering. It can be for health and economic reasons, but for also fantastic artistic reasons. Look at this beautiful creature. This is a phasmid from Malaysia. And the microstructures, our society gets to learn about insects at a scale and an intimacy that no other culture in human history has ever been able to do, with digital photography and videography, microscopy. We get to slow it down, we get to blow it up and we get to share it with one another instantly across the internet. So all these amazing discoveries that are happening it's all about understanding our parallels and connections with the natural world. And there are a few ambassadors that are easier to find and more fascinating in the long run than our six and eight-legged friends. So that's what the insect news network's all about. Imagine that. Wow. Yeah, it's a fun video and I made that a few years ago and I'm really eager to make a new one because the field of cultural entomology, as I mentioned, is well-established but almost unheard of. It's not taught anywhere. It's certainly not taught in the schools, even at the university level. And what I've done over the past few years, I've dove into different parts of our society to find out what people think and how they feel. I've walked in the counterculture, I've walked in the mainstream, I've talked to scientists and artists and totally people who think outside the box as well as some of the most important thinkers in the world. I found just little spots and pockets of interest and understanding of the insects so I realized there's a huge opportunity and then I started to interview people and find out what they think and how they feel. That's why the tagline for the insect news network is it's not just about the bugs, it's about us. I started focusing not on the insects but on the people who understand the insects and that has been the most powerful experience. And find the connection between our world and their world, yes. I seem to find it everywhere, that's the fun part, once you tune your attention to it they seem just like the insects themselves the way people appreciate insects shows up as well. We have another video and I've got about 60 radio shows now and at least 40 to 50 videos that I've done they can all be seen, most of them can be seen on the website but this next one was very special, there's a beautiful place down in Key West and this is an example of the people behind the culture of the bugs let's watch it. Hello everybody around the world, welcome back to another mobile edition of the insect news network and I'm your host E.M. and Brady on the insect news network we take you into the world of insects beyond the creepy and the crawly to the fun, the fascinating, the profound and even the sublime and as you can probably tell I am in the seat of sublime I'm in Key West Florida right now in one of the most beautiful places in the world of biology, well for anything it's just absolutely stunning it's the Key West Butterfly Conservatory and I'm here with the progenitor and the creator, one of the partners in the business, Mr. Sam Trophy Sam, welcome to the insect news network. Thank you very much, it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for that amazing introduction. We like to look at the influence and parallels between humans and insects and of all the insects of the world the butterfly is the great ambassador obviously a space like this takes time, passion, inspiration and perspiration to create how did this conservatory come to be? It all started with doing the artwork that you saw in our gallery and I figured that if I can do that, I can do something else so I started visiting butterfly conservatories that were open all over the world and started putting my own together and after about 8 years of planning and research, this baby broke ground in 2001 and January this month will be 10 years old. Congratulations, it's a birthday. It's one of the most popular attractions on the island which makes it one of the most popular attractions in the world. Over 160,000 people come to visit the butterflies and you're getting some special visitors soon in addition to the is it 60 plus varieties inside the conservatory? 60 plus varieties and we have a surprise coming in a couple of weeks which we haven't announced yet. I'll let you announce that in about 4 weeks. They don't just have butterflies, there's your hint. In addition to that it's an important ecological center and why don't we do this? Let's take a look around the grounds, we'll meet some of the butterflies and maybe some of the people who take care of them too. And 28 different species of birds. That's what I was going to say. 28 species of birds and how many species of plants? Obviously a big part of it. So it's a little bit of something for everybody. So definitely a place for the gathering of the insect tribe, keep it in mind everybody and look around the conservatory. Wonderful. It was a wonderful experience. And this place is like that all around the country. Every city in town has somebody who's an ambassador for the insect tribe and it's like a dive into the microcosm in a way that people can understand and it's really exciting. All the talks and the lectures that I do I try and showcase people as much as I showcase the bugs. And all of this of course you can find on Emmett's website which is insectnewsnetwork.com And it's just a wealth of beautiful art and scientifically accurate. It's wonderful. Well you have some slides for us as well. I'd like to create some really original topics for my lectures as well. And you're very well known for your catchy titles. As you comment on some of those the slides that we're about to show you can maybe tell us about some of your catchy titles. Sure, sure. This was obviously one of my favorite shows from the end of the year last year. I did a two part episode of the bug of the year just like any great countdown of the top 100 of the year. I did the top 25 bugs and then I counted down. I'm not going to tell you what the top bug was but maybe it wasn't a bug at all. Oh why not? One of my favorite lectures is called Insects as a Source of Peace and Meditation. And I talk about all the ways that observing and focusing your attention on the microcosm especially in the very silent fashion that a lot of it operates is a really transcendent experience. I like to talk about how spiders build their webs. If you ever watch a spider build its web from start to finish it's absolute masterpiece of art and you know fireflies and water striders and butterflies and dragonflies in the sunset. It's all a very meditative experience so that's another one. This is probably one of my favorite topics as well. Insects and Urban Culture. This is where I bring it home to the people who live in urban areas. Maybe they're a little disconnected from nature. This is where I dive into tattoos. As you see that one picture is the Rolling Stones album. Their second greatest hits album called Metamorphosis. I think it's from 1975 and it has all the stones they have bug heads instead of their own heads on the album cover. Of course based on the novel by Kafka. Actually that's funny. They didn't make their direct connection to Kafka but it's just great when you dive into all the ways they manifest in digital culture, video games, the online world cinema and music. It's just fascinating. And there's another one called the digital bug where I talk about the way the insects especially the systematics and the morphology of insects is really inspiring innovations in technology. The software bug. The term bug comes from a moth. It wound up in a computer. That's where the term comes from. As well as of course the World Wide Web. That's another one that comes. It's inspired by insects. And this is probably my favorite image because I think as far as the insect tribe goes. Well this is an amazing structure. It's called the corpus padiculata and it is the brain of an insect. It's a structure inside the brain of an insect. It's considered the seed of consciousness. I just found out there's a whole conversation about the multiplexing effect of these miniature computers and how effective they are with just a few thousand neurons. I think right there that structure is one of the secrets to a non-toxic future for our species. Able to interact and understand how insects perceive the world. We might not be talking bugs very soon but I think we'll learn how to communicate with them nonetheless. I'm particularly interested with the last slide that we showed. Those things in the middle. They look like teeth but obviously they're not. And since we are in Northern California just to let everybody know that's called the mushroom body. The mushroom body. The mushroom body. I'm really amazed at your knowledge but I have a burning question for you and that is how can people join the insect tribe? Well of course they're already in it. It doesn't matter if you sign up officially. Go to my website, sign up for our newsletters called The Periodical Buzz and I'll be sending out some really neat information. I love that. The Periodical Buzz. Absolutely. It's coming out in April. More importantly send me information info at insectnewsnetwork.com no matter where you are. You can become part of the insect tribe. It's a growing movement and we also are looking for field correspondence with other people with all kinds of media and promotional talents to be part of the insect news networks. Well you know as we wrap up because I'm afraid we're coming to an end of our interview. It does happen. It happens for everything. I would like to once again tell our audience that Emmett Brady is the producer and host of two amazing radio shows on 95.7 K... 95.7 FM K DRT and Cater and you can go to the website and find out about the programs. I also want to thank you for being here with us Emmett Brady cultural entomologist extraordinaire and also I'd like to thank you all of you watching at home. Now if you'd like to go to the website or reach Emmett you can go to the insectnewsnetwork.com and I think it's at Emmett at... No you can do info at. It's probably the best way to be here. Okay. My shows are on Wednesdays and Fridays you can do live call-ins to the studio as well. Perfect. And also you can watch this episode of in the studio online at our website, davismedia.org and while you're there you can also check some of our other programs and our archives and I'd like again to say the world of insect is surprising unseen buzzing mysterious annoying and also amazing And always there. Always there. Please help spread the buzz. You've been watching in the studio I'm your host Lynn Weaver. See you next time.