THOUGHTBOX

Hey there! Whenever you've had a tasty fig or two, have you ever paused to ponder on big issues like mortality, the cycle of life and - what the heck are those crunchy  bits inside the fig? The tiny hole at teh bottom of the fruit is  called an ostiole - remember that. What is the connection between figs, wasps and the more philosophical questions about life, death and purpose? It's all in the very peculiar and amazing symbiotic relationship between the fig tree and the fig wasp. When you think of wasps, you're thinking of the black and yellow striped nuisance and pesky cousin of the more benign and lovable bee. In fact, if you were to take a look at the fig wasp, you'd have a hard time telling them apart from a mosquito with the naked eye - not to mention that the males of the species have an odd, wingless worm like appearance. But the destinies of this fascinating insect and the fig tree are intertwined: fig wasps ensure that new fig plants se