The AM/DM podcast: U of M researchers discover ‘extinct’ weevil
The chestnut weevil is a species of beetle believed to have gone extinct with the near extinction of the American chestnut tree due to introduced plant pathogens in the early 20th century. (Courtesy Michael Charles)
The AM/DM is The Daily Memphian’s weekday podcast. Listen in every morning around 6:30 a.m. to get the news you need for the day, as well as a critical — but quick — interview on a larger story.
For decades, scientists believed a small beetle with a comically large snout had quietly vanished from the forests of the eastern United States — wiped out by the same disease that nearly erased the American chestnut tree itself.
The greater chestnut weevil hadn’t been definitively seen since the 1990s. Many assumed it was extinct.
But two scientists at the University of Memphis weren’t so sure.
Today, the story of a beetle presumed gone — and what its rediscovery might mean in an era of rapid biodiversity loss.
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AM/DMMary Cashiola
Mary Cashiola has been a Memphis journalist for nearly two decades, beginning her career covering city government and local neighborhoods at the Memphis Flyer before being hired by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s administration.
Before joining The Daily Memphian, she was the managing editor of the Memphis Business Journal, which was named one of the top 10 Best Designed Newspapers in the world by the Society of News Design while she was there.
She also has a background in advertising, with a focus on higher education and the hospitality industry.
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