Yes this was my lunch and eating it led to a new research project that overturned a 100 year old dogma about triatomine bugs. Triatomine bugs are unpleasant bloodsucking insects (like shield bugs) that transmit a parasitic disease called Chagas. Thinking about our research in a playful way has become easy after many years working with the arts and engagement. A question ‘hmm wonder if sandflies like cherry tomatoes’ led to another question by my friend and colleague Fernando Genta:

‘hey what about triatomine bugs?’

‘yes but everyone says that they only feed on blood’

‘i know but did anyone really look at this? let’s try them on cherry tomatoes’

Result a few years later was a publication: Everybody loves sugar; first report of sugar feeding in triatomines

https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-016-1401-0