It’s alive! Everyone thought this insect was extinct, but 2 Memphis scientists discovered the truth.
Thanks to a pair of scientists at the University of Memphis, biology professor Duane McKenna and doctoral student Michael Charles (pictured), we now know the greater chestnut weevil still lives. (Courtesy Michael Charles)
As far as anyone knew, the greater chestnut weevil — a beetle about the size of a quarter — was long gone, a victim of the same blight that has killed an estimated 4 billion chestnut trees in the U.S. in less than a century.
Since the beetle feeds on chestnuts and uses them to reproduce, most assumed that as the chestnuts died in the eastern part of the country, so did the beetle.
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Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
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