moths thought switching to eating clothes would offer a better life

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An example of anthropomorphism in public science discourse:

DL: "…the common clothes moth is what is called synanthropic, it actually depends entirely on man, so you don't find it in the wild"

MC: "yeah, so there must have been a point when they were feeding on something else, and they thought 'actually, here's a better life, clothes'…"

Marnie Chesterton

Marnie Chesterton, Radio producer / presenter was in conversation with Dr David Lees (Curator, Microlepidoptera, at the Natural History Museum) on an episode of 'BBC Inside Science'

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Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.