About this item
Insects have been shaping our ecological world and plant life for over 400 million years. In fact, our world is essentially run by bugs -- there are 1.4 billion for every human on the planet. In Bugged, journalist David MacNeal takes us on an off-beat scientific journey that weaves together history, travel, and culture in order to define our relationship with these mini-monsters. MacNeal introduces a cast of bug-lovers -- from a woman facilitating tarantula sex and an exterminator nursing bedbugs (on his own blood) , to a kingpin of the black market insect trade and a "maggotologist" -- who obsess over the crucial role insects play in our everyday lives. Just like bugs, this book is global in its scope, diversity, and intrigue. Hands-on with pet beetles in Japan, releasing lab-raised mosquitoes in Brazil, beekeeping on a Greek island, or using urine and antlers as means of ancient pest control, MacNeal's quest appeals to the squeamish and brave alike.
About the Author
Denver-based journalist exploring the fringes of science and culture. I recently wrote a non-fiction book for St. Martin's Press called "Bugged: The Insects Who Rule the World and the People Obsessed with Them."
I've frequently contributed to WIRED for years, and have also written for Vice, Medium, Los Angeles Magazine, Pacific Standard, 5280, ArsTechnica and Outside to name a few.
My WIRED stories cover a gamut of intrigue - from 3-D printed body parts, cloud speakers, bug sushi, and Darwin's facial expressions to my feature story on the banana-clad madness of Decentralized Dance Parties.
