Judith Becerra is an associate professor at Biosphere 2, University of Arizona. A Fulbright, Beckman, and National Geographic award winner, Becerra's research interests include the evolution and ecology of the genus Bursera and interaction with herbivores and the chemical and genomic links between stinkbugs and Alzheimer's disease.

David Yetman is a researcher at the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona whose specialties include the peoples and ecology of northwest Mexico and the southwestern United States. He is the author of numerous books, including Sonora: An Intimate Geography and The Saguaro Cactus: A Natural History. He has traveled extensively in the Bursera-rich regions of southern and western Mexico.