American biologist who founded sociobiology — the study of the biological basis of social behavior — and was the world's leading expert on ants and biodiversity.
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975): a comprehensive account of the biological basis of social behavior across all animals, including a final chapter on human sociobiology — triggering an enormous political controversy. The Ants (with Bert Hölldobler): a definitive reference work on ant biology. Biophilia: the human love of nature as an evolved trait. Consilience: the unity of all knowledge — science can and should absorb the humanities. The biological basis of biodiversity conservation.
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