What'sHerName

THE ENTOMOLOGIST Evelyn Cheesman


Published: 13 May 2026 at 22:27 Europe/London

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Episode notes

Over the course of her 87 years of life, self-taught British entomologist Evelyn Cheesman went on eight solo insect-collecting expeditions across the South Pacific, collected almost 100,000 specimens, identified dozens (possibly hundreds!) of previously unknown species, and used her specialized knowledge of Oceania to save countless lives during WWII.

Meet the indomitable genius who persevered against unimaginable odds to build herself the life she wanted - no matter what stood in her way. Our guest is Sarah Lonsdale, author of the book Wildly Different.


Music for this episode provided by: Emily Sprague, Jesse Gallagher, The Tides, Quincas Moreira, Kevin MacLeod, Brian Bolger, Asher Fulero, Myuu, Aaron Kenny, Geographer, and Nexus.

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