Edward Wilson, controversial biologist, is dead
He introduced the world to sociobiology
ONE DAY in 1936 Edward Wilson, a budding seven-year-old naturalist, was out fishing. He hooked a pinfish, which has sharp spines down its back. He pulled too hard. As the fish came out of the water, one of its spines went into his right eye. Keen not to cut short a day outdoors, he soldiered on without going to hospital. As a result, he lost most of the sight in that eye.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “An inordinate fondness for ants”
From the January 8th 2022 edition
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Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else