Wilson, Edward O. (1929- )

American entomologist, sociobiologist, and ecologist Edward Osborne Wilson is one of this century's most influential, yet controversial scientists.  Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1929, Wilson became fascinated by ants and other insects before he was 10 years old.  He received his B.S. and M.S. in Biology from the University of Alabama before obtaining his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1955.  He was hired as a professor at Harvard soon thereafter, and remains there today as Harvard's ‘Research Professor and Honourary Curator in Entomology of the Museum of Comparative Zoology'.         Early in his career, Wilson conducted research on various species of ants which led to the discovery of pheromones, or behaviour chemicals in animals.  He determined, through various experiments, that social insects such as ants communicate through releases of these pheromones.  He also conducted a study where he counted the number of insect species on six islands off the Florida Keys, and after fumigating the islands and returning 8 months later, determined that the same number of insect species had evolved over time, yet they were of significantly different composition.  He thus proposed an Equilibrium Theory within an ecosystem.         Wilson's most notable field of research, however, was in sociobiology.  In his 1975 book entitled Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, Wilson observed behaviour in insects which suggested that one individual insect is inclined to help its colony, even at possible cost to itself; that is to say the welfare of the entire colony was far more important than that of the individual.  This research represented great strides in the field of biology as no one had ever been able to substantiate that acts of altruism, kindness and labour specialization were fundamental among various species.         A great deal of controversy arose when, near the end of Sociobiology, Wilson hypothesized that his research with insects could be linked to animal and human behaviour.  He proposed that certain specific behaviours are, in fact, genetically determined.  This prompted a huge revolt, including letters of protest suggesting that similar ideas led to the construction of gas chambers in Nazi Germany.  Wilson even had a pitcher of water poured on him at a conference!  People did not want to believe that their actions were controlled by anything but destiny or free will; genetics could not enter the picture.         Regardless of the ramifications concerning his research, Wilson has received numerous awards for his research and his efforts as an environmentalist.  Included in his accolades are two Pulitzer Prizes for his books On Human Nature (1978, a follow-up book defending his controversial statements) and The Ants (1990, co-written with Bert Hölldobler).  It cannot be disputed that Edward O. Wilson's work as an entomologist, ecologist, and sociobiologist has been influential on the world of science, even to this day.