Meet the Weevil: The Insect That’s Redefining Evolution

I sat down with Dr. Bruno de Medeiros, Assistant Curator of Insects at the Field Museum, to rethink everything you and I were taught about “pest” insects.

We start in São Paulo, move into evolution and phylogenetics, and end with the big fight in science today: what AI will automate and what humans still need to ask.

In this conversation, you’ll learn what a weevil actually is, why some species are essential pollinators, how DNA work on palms exposed hidden species we kept lumping together, and why the weevil “nose” evolved long before egg-laying in plants.

We also get into jousting weevils with tusks, the largest misconceptions about insects, and Bruno’s advice to young scientists standing at the edge of an AI-powered decade.

If you care about biodiversity, science that actually matters, and stories that make you look at the natural world with new eyes, this one delivers.

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