Malaysian Firefly Researcher Speaks About Her Life's Work At US TED Talk
She is one of the only firefly taxonomists in the world!
Meet Dr Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh.
She has been researching fireflies for over 17 years, and was invited to speak about her life's work at TEDWomen 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hailing from a small town in Terengganu, Wan Faridah told the audience how she first fell in love with kelip-kelip after taking a boat ride into a mangrove forest near her home one night
She said it was an unforgettable experience watching the countless tiny flashes of light flickering on the trees in pitch darkness.
"It was as if they were dancing to their own beat. That is the moment I will never forget.
"And the rest is history. Now, I have been researching fireflies for more than 17 years, and I plan to spend my life uncovering and supporting the worlds of these creatures," said the passionate conservationist.
Wan Faridah also told the story of how she led a team to discover a new firefly species in Singapore
After stumbling upon an unnamed specimen in the Singapore Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and combing through freshwater swamps for over two years, she and her colleagues confirmed that the species was new to science.
They named it 'Luciola singapura' — the first firefly species to be found in over a hundred years.
Wan Faridah has since continued her research. As a senior lecturer and researcher at Monash University Malaysia, she first began with the ecological study of fireflies in mangroves in Malaysia.
Image via National University of Singapore
Through her research, Wan Faridah said she aims to create a database of all 2,000 firefly species in the world, while identifying new ones
Unfortunately, Wan Faridah said many firefly populations are disappearing fast — threatened by habitat destruction, light pollution, and pesticide use — and she's in a race against time.
She hoped that her TED Talk would increase awareness about the world of fireflies and inspire more people to learn about these insects and support her mission in their conservation and research.
Find out more about how you can help the scientist's mission on her TED profile page.
Watch Wan Faridah's TED Talk here:
Malaysia is filled with hidden gems. Here's where you can experience fireflies too:
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