margonelli learns of a theory that would turn the wood that termites consume into gasoline, that led to a biofuel in her compelling and astound book she follows researchers as they study termite behavior and investigating how these increases who do 20 billion plus dollars of damage a year can be enlisted as their source for fuel but as a model for robotics. along the way, margonelli who writes for a small science column also explores what these increases can teach us about engineering, climate change, cooperation, and cognition. help me welcome her to politics and president. pros. >> thank you so much for coming, and thanks for having me. termites can eat books so it's a leap of faith to invite the termites to the bookstore here. i got interested in termites in the summer of 208, and i am not totally sure i definitely had no idea what i was doing and the termites captured me. i was having a bad summer, and someone's brought termites of the state here to show a book. it i was having a bad summer and some researchers who i had met doing a story for the atlantic asked me to come out on

in the course of researching her comprehensive history of fossil fuels, lisa margonelli learned of a theory that would turn termites into gasoline that led not to revolutionary biofuel but lisa margonelli's long obsession with termites. in her astounding book, he follows researchers to namibia, australia and arizona as they study termite behavior and investigate how these creatures who do $20 billion of damage a year in the us can be enlisted not only as a source for fuel but as a model for life. along the way, margonelli who writes a small science column for public square also explores what these teachers can teach us about engineering, climate change, cooperation and cognition. please welcome her to politics and prose . >> thank you so much for coming and thanks to politics and prose for having me . termites can eat books so it's kind of a leap of faith to invite the termites into the bookstore. i got interested in termites in the summer of eight and i am not totally sure that i, well, i definitely had no idea what i was doing and the termites kind of captured me. i was having a ba

margonelli learns of a theory that would

in the course of researching her comprehensive history of fossil fuels, lisa margonelli learned of a theory that