Here’s a story from the entomologist George McGavin. At an open day in the museum where both authors of this book used to work, he was accosted by a lady who demanded, ‘What are wasps for?’ As he recounts it, he patiently explained to her the basics of evolution, culminating in the conclusion that, from a human point of view, a creature need not be for anything at all. Nodding in a satisfied way, she thought a little, and then came back with the next question: ‘What are worms for?’
