A new species in New York
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Which way to Nevermead is? Excuse me? Nevermead? I don't know, sorry.
Hey, Meredith.
Hey, Benji. How's it going?
It's going well. How's it going?
Excellent, excellent. Yeah, is now a good time to talk? I know you're pretty busy today.
Yeah, this is perfect. We just wrapped up.
Yeah, yeah. So Benji Jones, senior correspondent here at Vox, covering the biodiversity, the environment. I mean, usually I feel like I'm catching you between reporting trips to, you know, bat hospitals in Australia or chasing cougars in Mexico. So I'm glad that I caught you on this field reporting trip. Where are you now?
I am right here in New York City. I'm in the middle of Prospect Park. Exotic. In Brooklyn.
The exotic reaches of Brooklyn.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly. On a beautiful sunny day, I should add.
Oh, yeah. Describe what you see and hear around you.
Yes. So I'm like 20 minutes from my house in the middle of Prospect Park. It's one of my favorite places in New York. It feels like more, a little more rustic than Central Park, for example, because there's like scruffy forests and ponds and turtles. We saw like a bunch of turtles and swans today. Oh, nice. And I'm listening to the sound of children in the distance. When we got here, there were dogs running everywhere. So it's a little bit chaotic, but just like very New York in every way. And we actually just ran into a large birding group and they were like freaking out because they had just seen a Mississippi kite. a Mississippi kite in the sky that was like hovering around us while we were here. So there's just like all walks of life in the park.
And that's why I love Prospect Park and New York, obviously.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So what are you up to in the wilds of Prospect Park?
So while most people probably try to avoid bugs in the park, I just set up a giant bug trap to try to find a new species of insect. I'm hoping that we will find a species that is new to science that no one has discovered before right in the middle of New York City.
I mean, I guess if I think about a new species in Prospect Park, what comes to mind is like a Great Dane and a pug mix at the dog field or something wild. So why is it important to find a new species of bug?
Yeah, so what's so incredible about insects in general is that there are so many unknown species still. So we're looking specifically for a new species of what's called a parasitoid wasp, which is a wasp that lays its eggs and other insects, and also flies in the family phoridae, which are known as the scuttleflies. And the reason we're focusing on those two insect groups is that they're famous for having so many unknown species, tens of thousands that have yet to be described. And when we're talking about the value of maintaining something like parasitoid wasps or flies that may not seem that important. But insects run the world. They're so important for pollination. They clean up our poo. They do all these sort of hidden tasks all around us.
And so there's a really strong argument, even if you're just thinking about selfishly thinking about humans to protect them.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–6:07
2
What is the quest for a new species in Prospect Park?
6:07–14:49
3
Why is it important to discover new insect species?
14:49–15:54
4
What are parasitoid wasps and scuttleflies?
15:54–19:13
5
Why search for new species in a city like New York?
19:13–26:45