Science

Scientist at Work: Paying a Visit to E.O. Wilson

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To reach Edward O. Wilson’s office on the Harvard campus, one must first push through a door with a sign warning the public not to enter. Then, enter a creaky old elevator and press two buttons simultaneously. This counterintuitive procedure transports one into a strange realm. It is a space that holds the world’s largest collection of ants, some 14,000 species. Curators are checking the drawers, dominated by the tall figure of Dr. Wilson, who is trying to contain his excitement: the 14,001st ant species has just been discovered in the soils of a Brazilian forest

Continue reading the insightful story by the New York Times (or watch E.O. Wilson’s 2007 TED Prize speech on the Encyclopedia of Life, which is featured in the NYT article).

Plus: Andrew C. Revkin writes about E.O. Wilson’s visit to the New York Times offices on the NYTimes blog Dot Earth.