Noah Whiteman Explains the Evolutionary War Behind Caffeine and Coevolution

Noah Whiteman, Professor of Integrative Biology, explores the four-billion-year co-evolutionary battle between plants and animals, which has shaped many of the foods and medicines we use today. Whiteman explains that caffeine, found in coffee plants, is part of a plant’s defense mechanism against insects, acting as a poison. Some insects have co-evolved to tolerate or even use these plant poisons for their benefit. Known for his work with CRISPR gene editing on monarch butterflies, Whiteman delves into co-evolutionary interactions in his book Most Delicious Poison, examining how these biological arms races have influenced everything from immunity to spices.