Marcus Byrne

{{Short description|South African researcher}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}

{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Marcus Byrne

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| nationality =

| field = Entomology
Zoology

| work_institution = University of the Witwatersrand

| alma_mater = University of the Witwatersrand
University of London

| known_for = Dung beetle research
winning Ig Nobel Prize

}}

Professor Marcus Byrne won the 2013 Ig Nobel Prize for Biology/Astronomy along with: Marie Dacke, Emily Baird, Clarke Scholtz, and Eric Warrant, for discovering that when dung beetles get lost, they can navigate their way home by looking at the Milky Way.{{Cite journal | last1 = Dacke | first1 = M. | last2 = Baird | first2 = E. | last3 = Byrne | first3 = M. | last4 = Scholtz | first4 = C. H. | last5 = Warrant | first5 = E. J. | title = Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way for Orientation | doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2012.12.034 | journal = Current Biology | volume = 23 | issue = 4 | pages = 298–300 | year = 2013 | pmid = 23352694| doi-access = free }} This research has practical applications, for example helping how to develop complex visual systems.Wits. "Marcus Byrne", University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg, Johannesburg, unknown date. Retrieved on 6 October 2014.Wits. [https://www.ted.com/speakers/marcus_byrne "Marcus Byrne - entomologist"], TED, USA, unknown date. Retrieved on 6 October 2014.

Byrne is a professor of zoology and entomology at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa.{{cite web |title=Explorer Home |url=https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/marcus-john-byrne |website=explorers.nationalgeographic.org |access-date=13 June 2025 |language=en}}

Byrne is the author of Dance of the Dung Beetles.{{cite web |title=Marcus Byrne |url=https://nyupress.org/author/marcus-byrne/ |website=NYU Press |access-date=13 June 2025}}