THE ENTOMOLOGIST Evelyn Cheesman

What'sHerName

Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.8 • 538 Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Over the course of her 87 years, 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.2	Maria Lane Kelly, Kim Hockinson, Bree Ames Smith, Robin Brown, Heather Juston, Maria Carla Sanchez, Amanda Gilmore, Jill Harrigan,
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1:07.1	Hi, Katie. Ooh. Hi, Olivia.
1:15.3	Your high promises something exciting.
1:19.0	The scene.
1:24.4	A deserted island off the coast of South America.
1:25.6	Ooh.
1:32.8	Our heroine is trapped in a giant spider's web.
1:34.3	Uh.
1:36.5	Yes, really.
1:38.4	Truly.
1:40.7	For real.
1:44.8	She is fighting for her life,
	...

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