3-Minute Insect Essential #42 from the INSECT NEWS NETWORK

INSECTS IN URBAN CULTURE: Wu Tang Clan, Mariah Carey, SimCity and More – A Lecture @ UC Davis (INN #42). This is Cultural Entomology at its best! To hear the full broadcast, visit www.insectnewsnetwork.com and type in number 42 - that's pound 42 - in the search bar. And be sure to Join the Insect Tribe! Sign up for our newsletter, the Periodical Buzz.
This is a special show, a same day broadcast of lecture that was almost 5 years in the making. I presented the theme “Insects in Urban Culture.”

I stepped beyond the standard boundaries of insect science into the emerging, unexplored territory of Cultural Entomology.

Since over 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities – and more than 250 million Americans live in or around urban areas – a bold new interpretation of the human-insect interdependence is essential. There is ample evidence that this is already in the works: Cultural Entomology examines the microcosm in over 60 fields of human endeavor not traditionally examined by insect science.

In this talk I will offered vivid examples in Architecture, Tattoos, Grafitti, Video Games, Digital Design, Media, Fashion, and Urban Tribes. I framed the discussion in a contemporary context for the student populace, citing entertainment celebrities, blockbuster video games and films, and cultural luminaries who are re-defining our concepts about life on Earth. I set the stage for the catalysis of an urban re-evolution regarding Insects, Spiders and other organism that run the planet. We will discussed practical, compelling and sublime examples of the influence of insects, and the origins of the Insect Tribe.