Marcus Byrne

Marcus Byrne
Alma materUniversity of the Witwatersrand
University of London
Known forDung beetle research
winning Ig Nobel Prize
Scientific career
FieldsEntomology
Zoology
InstitutionsUniversity of the Witwatersrand

Professor Marcus Byrne won the 2013 Ig Nobel Prize for Biology/Astronomy along with: Marie Dacke, Emily Baird, Clarke Scholtz, and Eric Warrant, for discovering that when dung beetles get lost, they can navigate their way home by looking at the Milky Way.[1] This research has practical applications, for example helping how to develop complex visual systems.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Dacke, M.; Baird, E.; Byrne, M.; Scholtz, C. H.; Warrant, E. J. (2013). "Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way for Orientation". Current Biology. 23 (4): 298–300. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.12.034. PMID 23352694.
  2. ^ Wits. "Marcus Byrne", University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg, Johannesburg, unknown date. Retrieved on 6 October 2014.
  3. ^ Wits. "Marcus Byrne - entomologist", TED, USA, unknown date. Retrieved on 6 October 2014.

External links

  • Staff page at Wits University
  • Personal page at the National Research Foundation (South Africa)
  • The Dance of the Dung Beetle, a TED talk by Marcus Byrne
  • The Dance of the Dung Beetles https://archivewitspress.co.za/catalogue/dance-of-the-dung-beetles/