A Brief History of Insects. The Six-Legged Masters of the Planet

“Any history, including the history of the development of life on Earth, is a complex intertwining of causes and effects. Remove just one element, and everything else will change beyond recognition” — with these words and the famous example of the butterfly from Ray Bradbury’s story, paleoentomologist Alexander Kramov begins his amazing tale about the six-legged masters of the planet.

We swat away flies and mosquitoes, battle cockroaches, and avoid anthills, not to mention lice! If not for lice, humans would have remained hairy like chimpanzees. In fact, without insects, vertebrates would never have ventured onto land, as there would have been nothing for them to eat. Yes, there are quite a few books about insects, but this is the first that tells their story from the perspective of their formation and historical development. Paleoentomology is not mathematics; much in this rapidly evolving science is built on hypotheses and interpretations, but thanks to the emergence of new data and research methods, scientists can share with us exciting discoveries and insights, adding more fragments to the picture of the world. And the author does this enthusiastically and skillfully.