Edward O. Wilson Renowned PhD Biologist, The Ant Man, has died at 92

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the life and contributions of Edward O. Wilson, a prominent biologist known for his work in island biogeography, sociobiology, and conservation. Participants reflect on his legacy, notable experiments, and the ethical implications of biological research.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for Wilson as a visionary in biology.
  • One participant recounts a controversial experiment where Wilson and a colleague surveyed and then eradicated all life on an island, noting the ethical concerns surrounding such research.
  • Another participant comments on the nature of biological studies, suggesting that they often involve the death of organisms.
  • Participants discuss the implications of island biogeography and compare it to natural experiments like Krakatoa and Mount St. Helens, highlighting differences in ecosystem repopulation.
  • A participant provides a summary of Wilson's work, mentioning key areas such as island biogeography, sociobiology, and conservation efforts.
  • One participant shares a quote from Wilson regarding parasites, illustrating his perspective on ecological relationships.
  • A personal anecdote is shared about Daniel Simberloff, Wilson's collaborator, emphasizing his intelligence and contributions to the field.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on Wilson's significance in biology and the importance of his experiments, but there are differing views on the ethical implications of such research and the consequences of ecological interventions.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions touch on the need for accurate surveys prior to ecological experiments, and the complexities of repopulation dynamics in different environments, but these points remain unresolved.

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He was a giant of biology and a visionary!
 
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There was one experiment though where he and a colleague surveyed all life on an island, then killed it off completely and waited for it to come back. It did but with a markedly different ecosystem. An important result but at the cost of killing a thriving island ecosystem. It always bothered me about the dark reality of science.
 
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Although, biology is the study of life, it often involves killing things.
 
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jedishrfu said:
Heres more on the island experiment

http://eo-wilson.weebly.com/island-biogeography.html
I believe that there are lots of these kind of experiments.

There are also similar natural experiments, such as: Krakatoa (an island) and Mount St. Helens (not an island, but everything was killed for quite a distance).
Islands are harder to repopulate, non-islands easier.
 
Except they needed an accurate survey before the event.
 
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Here is a NY Times obituary on Wilson.

Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 11.08.41 AM.png


It also has a little video of him being interviewed.
It does a good job of briefly describing his biological work.

There were three parts:
  1. Island biogeography, population isolation, and likelihood of extinction in small populations
  2. Evolution of behavior, sociobiology (including those irascible humans). The evolution behavior connection also paralleled on going research in the physiological basis of behavior and the nervous system underlying those behaviors was strongly influenced by genetics (and the developmental mechanisms that generate the nervous system). This in turn lead to the study of evolutionary development (EvoDevo).
  3. Conservation and habitat protection.
His renowned expertise in ants was a big part of the first two.
 
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Re: post #3; Danny (Daniel Simberloff, Wilson's co-author on that island repopulation experiment) was a friend of mine as a math major in undergrad school, (I remember especially how smart and generous he was), and the famous study seems to have been his PhD thesis project:
https://reflectionsonpaperspast.wordpress.com/2018/03/12/revisiting-simberloff-and-wilson-1969/

Since he switched out of math, I didn't know before how famous he is, until now, but I am not surprized.
 
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