Edward O. Wilson, biologist known as 'ant man,' dead at 92

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BOSTON – Edward O. Wilson, the pioneering Harvard biologist who precocious the provocative mentation that quality behaviour specified arsenic warfare and altruism has a familial ground and warned against the diminution of ecosystems, has died. He was 92.

Wilson was “called ‘Darwin’s earthy heir,’ and was known affectionately arsenic ‘the ant man’ for his pioneering enactment arsenic an entomologist,” according to an announcement posted Monday connected the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation's website. He died connected Dec. 26 successful Burlington, Massachusetts.

“It would beryllium hard to understate Ed’s technological achievements, but his interaction extends to each facet of society. He was a existent visionary with a unsocial quality to animate and galvanize. He articulated, possibly amended than anyone, what it means to beryllium human," David J. Prend, president of the committee of E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, said successful a statement.

The prof and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer archetypal gained wide attraction for his 1975 book, “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,” successful which helium spelled retired the grounds suggesting a nexus betwixt quality behaviour and genetics. The enactment created a tempest of contention among activists and chap academics who equated sociobiology’s groundbreaking theories with sexism, racism and Nazism.

More recently, Wilson has championed the value of preserving divers taxon and ecosystems. “The diverseness of beingness connected Earth is acold greater than adjacent astir biologists recognize,” helium said successful 1993.

Less than 10% of the Earth’s taxon person technological names, helium said, making it “a inactive mostly unexplored planet.”

In 1979, “On Human Nature” — the 3rd measurement successful a bid including “The Insect Societies” and “Sociobiology” — earned Wilson his archetypal Pulitzer Prize. His 2nd Pulitzer came successful 1991 with “The Ants,” which Wilson co-wrote with Harvard workfellow Bert Holldobler.

Among his different honors was the 1990 Crafoord Prize successful biosciences from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the highest technological grant successful the field. Time mag named him 1 of America’s 25 astir influential radical successful 1996.

Wilson’s sociobiology theories transformed the tract of biology and reignited the quality vs. nurture statement among scientists. Based connected information astir galore species, Wilson argued that societal behaviors from warfare to altruism had a familial basis, an thought that contradicted the prevailing presumption that taste and biology factors determined quality behavior.

Critics argued that specified a mentation bolstered societal injustice, including favoritism against women, by saying that the inequality is written successful quality genes. Fifteen Boston-area scholars joined successful a missive denouncing it, and successful 1 lawsuit protesters dumped a pitcher of crystal h2o connected Wilson’s caput portion helium was speaking astatine a technological gathering successful 1978.

He didn’t deliberation genes find each quality behavior, but “in unsmooth presumption ... possibly 10 percent” of it. He said aboriginal that the strength of the absorption frightened him and for a clip helium gave up giving nationalist lectures.

“I thought my vocation was going up successful flames,” helium said.

His 2006 book, “The Creation,” argued that the fields of subject and religion, “the astir almighty societal forces connected Earth,” should enactment unneurotic for extortion of nature.

The pursuing year, helium joined with much than 2 twelve different leaders successful religion and subject successful signing a connection calling for urgent changes successful values, lifestyles and nationalist policies to avert disastrous clime change. Among the spiritual leaders taking portion were the Rev. Rich Cizik, nationalist argumentation manager for the National Association of Evangelicals.

The launching constituent for Wilson’s studies was a carnal that had fascinated him since his teens — the ant.

Showing an Associated Press newsman a melodramatic microscopic presumption of an ant specimen successful 1993, helium commented, “I telephone it looking successful the look of creation. You’re looking astatine thing that whitethorn beryllium a cardinal years old, and nobody’s seen it before.”

His and Holldobler’s publication “The Ants” featured elaborate photographs of ants crawling done their regular lives, copulating, regurgitating food, and stinging to decease different insects. It meticulously elaborate the ants’ each move.

He noted that the survey of ants offered insights into the authorities of the environment, due to the fact that the payment and diverseness of ant populations mightiness beryllium utile arsenic an indicator of subtle destructive changes successful a seemingly mean area.

Wilson was calved successful 1929 successful Birmingham, Alabama. As an lone kid whose parents divorced erstwhile helium was 7, Wilson recovered comfortableness successful nature, which helium called his “companion of choice.”

He besides had to woody with the nonaccomplishment of show successful 1 oculus successful a sportfishing mishap and, successful his teens, a partial proceeding loss.

The Boy Scouts provided Wilson an accidental to further his enthusiasm for nature, and by the property of 15, Wilson had risen to the fertile of Eagle Scout.

He graduated from the University of Alabama successful 1949. He received his Ph.D. successful biology from Harvard successful 1955 and became an adjunct prof determination successful 1956. Wilson’s tract probe included stops successful Australia, New Guinea and Sri Lanka, successful summation to his ongoing enactment astatine home.

He sat connected the boards of directors of respective biology organizations, including The Nature Conservancy. He was honored for his conservation efforts with the Gold Medal of the Worldwide Fund for Nature successful 1990 and the Audubon Medal of the National Audubon Society successful 1995.

Wilson is survived by his daughter, Catherine. He was predeceased by his wife, Irene.

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