Fossil insects help to reconstruct the past: how I ended up studying them (and you can too)

When I tell people that I study fossils, many assume I am talking about dinosaurs or some equally impressive extinct creatures. But there’s far more to be found in the global fossil record, like plants, fish and insects.

Researchers who study fossil insects preserved in rock or amber deposits are called palaeoentomologists – and I’m one of very few in the world. (I’d estimate there are roughly 200, many of them still studying towards PhDs and not yet working full-time.) I’m also the first and only black South African in the field.

By studying the remains of fossil insects…

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