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Ant expert E.O. Wilson
has spent his career studying tiny creatures. Yet what sets him apart is his
ability to step back and see the grand scheme of things.
running time 9:55
Newly appointed to
Harvard, Wilson ignores charges by molecular biologists that his work with ants
is mere "stamp-collecting." He goes on to discover ants'
extraordinary means of communication, which opens up whole new areas of study.
running time 10:05
Wilson realizes that the
chemicals governing an ant's behavior must have a genetic basis. Does
this hold true for other animals, including humans? His answer, the 1975 book Sociobiology, unleashes a firestorm of controversy.
running time 8:34
As the controversy slowly
dies down, Wilson turns his attention to a new crisis: the ongoing loss of
biodiversity. In the Florida Keys, he undertakes a groundbreaking experiment
that provides data critical to the new field of conservation biology.
running time 11:06
Now in his sixth decade
at Harvard, Wilson launches his Encyclopedia of Life and continues writing
books and actively campaigning to protect what's left of the
world's endangered ecosystems.
running time 10:41
