"Leave the science to the scientists," you may have heard. But did you stop and think how many people are scientists?
Not enough to research all of the interesting things about the world and the universe around us. So to fill in the gaps, we need some amateurs in the field.
Amateurs like Sharman Apt Russell, who knows more about tiger beetles than many scientists.
She wrote Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World and joined us on the Exchange last year. We revisit that interview here.
