What have insects ever done for us? with Dr George McGavin

What have insects ever done for us? As the dominant, multicellular life-form on the planet, the ecological impact of insects is colossal. Without insects performing essential ecosystem services, the Earth would be a very different place, and most terrestrial vertebrates that depend on them directly as food would become extinct. The loss of bees alone might cause the extinction of a quarter of all life on Earth. A total loss of insects might see the human population plummet to perhaps a few hundred thousand individuals subsisting mainly on cereals and a few fish. George McGavin studied Zoology at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD in entomology at Imperial College and the Natural History Museum in London. After 25 years as an academic at Oxford University, he became an award-winning television presenter. George is an Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and an Honorary Principal Research Fellow at Imperial College. George is also a Fellow of the Linne