In the three years since Sex, Lies, and Butterflies [1]was completed, science has continued to investigate the origin of butterflies. With new technologies for probing the deep past, new answers are emerging. Dr. Akito Kawahara of the Florida Museum of Natural History and a contributor to the film has now developed a new hypothesis of how and when butterflies emerged. His research is also a case study of how science unfolds and how the process of discovery is never over. Janet Hess, Nature’s series editor and writer of the film, spoke with Dr. Kawahara about his new research. Some answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: When we meet you in the film, you are working in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique on the relationship between bats and moths, a relationship between predator and prey. How did that work connect with the story of butterflies?
Dr. Akito Kawahara (AK): When we were in Gorongosa National Park several years ago, we were studying the origi...