E. O. Wilson

Edward Osborne Wilson was a highly influential American biologist, naturalist, and ecologist.

He is perhaps best known for developing the field of sociobiology. This field examines how social behavior is shaped by evolution. Wilson was also widely recognized as an expert on ants, earning nicknames like "ant man." Because of his work on the variety of life on Earth, he was often called the "father of biodiversity." His career spanned many decades and included significant roles at Harvard University and Duke University.

Wilson's scientific focus was shaped by a major change in his early life. When he was seven years old, a fishing accident partially blinded his right eye. This injury resulted in a cataract, which is a clouding of the eye's lens. Because he lost some stereoscopic vision, he found it harder to observe large animals like birds. Instead, he began to notice very small details, such as the tiny hairs on insects.

This shift in perspective led him to focus on entomology, the study of insects. He began collecting butterflies and discovered citronella ants, which left a lasting impression on him.

Throughout his career, Wilson developed several groundbreaking scientific theories. In 1956, he co-authored a paper defining the theory of character displacement. Later, in 1967, he worked with mathematician Robert MacArthur to develop the theory of island biogeography. This theory explains how species populations reach an equilibrium on islands. To test this, Wilson and Daniel S. Simberloff studied small mangrove islets in the Florida Keys. They removed all insect species to observe how new species eventually repopulated the area. Wilson also worked with William H. Bossert to classify pheromones, which are chemicals insects use to communicate.

Wilson's academic journey took him from the American South to the world's most famous universities. He attended many different schools before earning a Bachelor of Science in 1949 from the University of Alabama. He later earned his doctorate at Harvard University in 1955.

While at Harvard, he traveled on many overseas expeditions. He collected ant species in Cuba, Mexico, and the South Pacific. His travels included visits to Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Sri Lanka. He eventually became the Pellegrino University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard.

Beyond his research, Wilson was a very successful and celebrated author. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for General Nonfiction. His first prize was for the book "On Human Nature" in 1979. His second prize was for "The Ants," which he co-wrote with Bert Hölldobler, in 1991. He also wrote many New York Times bestsellers. These included "The Social Conquest of Earth," "Letters to a Young Scientist," and "The Meaning of Human Existence." His writing helped bring complex biological ideas to a much wider audience.

Wilson's work was not always without intense debate and controversy. In 1975, his book "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis" became a major point of contention. He also had a long-standing scientific dispute with Richard Dawkins. This disagreement focused on the theory of evolution, specifically regarding kin selection versus group selection.

Additionally, letters discovered after his death showed he had privately supported J. Philippe Rushton. Rushton was a psychologist whose work on race and intelligence was widely rejected as flawed and racist. Wilson admitted he had avoided the subject of Rushton's work due to fear of professional consequences.

Despite these controversies, Wilson's contributions to science remain vast and interconnected. He sought to find the "consilience," or the unity, between the natural and social sciences. His work helped bridge the gap between biology and human culture. He showed how evolutionary pressures influence the behavior of both insects and vertebrates. By studying the smallest ants, he helped humanity understand the larger systems of life on Earth. His legacy continues through the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.