E.O. WILSON, the (other) Ant Man, has made his favorite little creatures familiar to the public. Now Wilson, also known as the Dean of Biodiversity, hopes to draw as much attention to all of the species on our planet, in an effort to save them from human-caused extinction before it is too late. We talked with Wilson in 2007 about the importance of nature in our lives, the survival of life on this planet, and, of course, about his first love, ants.
At 77, the Pellegrino Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard still went to his office on the fourth floor of the Museum of Comparative Zoology on most days. He was working on his 21st book, but admitted to still being “astonished” by the response to his last one, The Creation. Written as an impassioned letter to a Southern Baptist pastor, the book asks that the forces of science and religion put aside their differences about how life began and join together to save it, because “each species, however inconspicuous and humble it may seem to us at the moment, is a masterpiece of biology, and well worth saving.”
YOU’VE SAID THAT BEING A NATURALIST IS NOT JUST AN ACTIVITY, BUT AN HONORABLE STATE OF MIND. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
To be a naturalist is a lifelong calling, even if you only have the opportunity to enjoy nature by going to the outdoors from time to time. The pleasure of it comes from having an endless world to explore—a world that is still mostly beyond human understanding so that always, every time you go out, you find something new. An interest in the study and maintenance of biodiversity is honorable because the future existence of our world depends on it.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
