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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