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<a href="http://pestival.org" target="_blank">Pestival</a> is back. And this time it's... BIG (and Strange Attractor is not directly involved!)

Pestival gets off to a flying start with its opening event <em>How Insect Are We?</em>, hosted by ZSL London Zoo, on 3rd September 2009.

Four leading thinkers from four different disciplines discuss how close to insects mankind really is and what contributions they make in all our lives. From swarm theory to architecture to extending life and political thinking to insect as muse, great minds get to grips with the insect contributions of everything from social insects to solitary wasps.

Join Stanford University biologist <a href="http://pestival.org/collaborators/#deborah-m-gordon-38">Deborah Gordon</a>, the world’s leading ant specialists and TED speaker; the engineer and designer <a href="http://pestival.org/collaborators/#natalie-jeremijenko-44">Natalie Jeremijenko</a>, who has been described as one of the most original creative minds of the 21st century; and the cultural theorist and literary critic <a href="http://pestival.org/collaborators/#steve-conner-43">Professor Steve Connor</a> in an evening that promises to build a hive of ideas and a buzz of questions for when you join in the discussion too.

The Symposium will be chaired by <a href="http://pestival.org/collaborators/#roger-highfield-46">Roger Highfield</a>, the editor of New Scientist magazine.

Full <a href="http://pestival.org" target="_blank">Pestival</a> line up