The World’s Smallest Creatures Hold Its Biggest Secrets

Most people walk past insects without a second thought. To many, they’re background noise — something to avoid or brush away.

But for me, insects are a uniquely powerful source of knowledge about the past, present and future of life on Earth. They are the hidden majority among animals — shaping ecosystems, driving evolution and influencing agriculture and environmental resilience in ways we are only beginning to understand.

As the William Hill Professor of Biology at the University of Memphis, my research focuses on insect systematics, genomics, evolution and biodiversity, with a particular emphasis on beetles. At its core, my work asks how insect biodiversity is created and maintained — and how genomic innovations help insects thrive in almost every environment on Earth.

What motivates me is simple: despite their importance, an astonishing number of insect species remain unknown to science. There is still so much left to learn — and many of our discoveries have real consequences for ecosystems and the services they provide.

Beetles alone include more than 400,000 named species, with estimates suggesting hundreds of thousands more still undescribed. Understanding who these species are, how they live and what they do isn’t academic curiosity for its own sake — it shapes how we understand food systems, conservation and ecological balance in a rapidly changing world.

Finding My Way Into the Unknown

My fascination with biology began with plants. They are the most visible engineers of ecosystems, and they shape how we experience landscapes.

But over time, insects pulled me in. I was fascinated by how little we truly knew about them, despite their incredible diversity and ecological impacts as herbivores, decomposers and pollinators. That lack of knowledge was exciting. It felt like standing at the edge of a scientific frontier, where fundamental discoveries were still waiting to be made.

Genomics eventually gave me the tools to explore that frontier more deeply. Advances in DNA sequencing made it possible to connect the visible traits of organisms — what they eat, where they live, how they interact — with the genetic code that makes those traits possible.

For the first time, we could begin to understand biodiversity not just as something we observe, but as something we can explain at a molecular level. That connection between genomes, ecology and evolution is what ultimately defined my research path.

Why Beetles Matter More Than You Think

One of the central questions my lab investigates is how insects can do things that most animals cannot. A striking example is their ability to digest touch, chemically defended plant material.

Humans and most other animals cannot eat woody plants, but many beetles can. They often do this with the help of bacteria or fungi, but a few especially successful lineages have incorporated genes from those partner organisms directly into their own genomes.

This ability to efficiently digest plant cell walls and gain access to their constituent sugars helps explain why beetles are so extraordinarily diverse. It also has practical implications. The enzymes beetles use are relevant to biotechnology, including efforts to produce cellulosic ethanol and other sustainable materials. In some cases, we are studying beetles that live in extreme environments, such as Antarctica, where they digest plant material at very cold temperatures.

Understanding how beetle enzymes function in the cold could inform new technologies and help us predict how environmental change may disrupt fragile ecosystems.

Rediscovering a Species Thought Lost

One of the most meaningful discoveries from my lab in recent years involves the greater chestnut weevil.

This beetle feeds on the seeds of chestnut trees, which were once abundant across the eastern United States. When chestnut trees declined dramatically after introduced pathogens spread in the early 20th century, the weevil declined too — and was eventually assumed to be extinct.

A PhD student in my lab, Michael Charles, challenged that assumption. After extensive searching and careful investigation, he confirmed that the weevil still exists, surviving in just a few places in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

What made this rediscovery especially exciting is that it combined old-fashioned fieldwork with modern tools, including genetic data that helped confirm the weevil’s identity.

This rediscovery matters not because the weevil is economically important today, but because it highlights a broader pattern. When species disappear, the organisms that depend on them often vanish quietly as well. Finding the greater chestnut weevil underscores why biodiversity matters: we can’t protect what we don’t know is still here.

Students, Collaboration and a Global Mission

One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is mentoring students and early-career researchers. In my lab, undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are deeply involved in every stage of the research process. They collect specimens, analyze genomes, build evolutionary trees and ask new questions about how life works.

Watching students learn and discover their own scientific interests and capabilities is one of the greatest privileges of my career. Their curiosity and creativity push the science forward in ways I couldn’t do alone.

Beyond the University of Memphis, I am involved in the Earth BioGenome Project, a global effort to sequence the genomes of all life on Earth. It is an ambitious goal, but one that reflects the urgency and opportunity of our time.

Biodiversity is declining rapidly, and understanding life at the genomic level is essential for conservation, agriculture and resilience in the face of global change.

At its core, my research is about curiosity, connection and responsibility. By studying beetles and other insects, we gain insight into ecosystems, evolutionary innovation and the future of life on this planet.

That knowledge belongs to everyone. From the air we breathe to the food we eat, human health and welfare depend on our understanding and wise stewardship of nature.