E.O. Wilson on the 'Knockout Gene' that Allows Mankind to Dominate Earth
Famed evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson argues that humans came to dominate the Earth thanks to a social condition called eusociality.
Why did humanity, among all the species that have ever existed, come to dominate the Earth? Famed evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson argues it's on account of humanity's unusual genetic mutation, or "knockout gene," that gave rise to eusociality, or the social condition that allows non-reproductive members of a species to support its reproductive members. Wilson walks through the unusual historical evolution of eusociality and discusses how humanity is one of only 20 species in existence that currently exhibit the trait as well as the largest primate species to do so.
E.O. Wilson: Synthetic Biology Will Radically Change the World
The legendary biologist talks about ultimate biology breakthroughs we can expect in the next several decades and how the creation of artificial life, coupled with the advancement of artificial intelligence, will change the human race.
Legendary biologist Edward O. Wilson explores three realms of ultimate biology from which we should expect major breakthroughs over the next several decades. Each is rooted in synthetic biology, which makes the creation of artificial life possible. Wilson's latest book is titled "The Meaning of Human Existence."
Pheromones and Other Stimuli We Humans Don't Get, with E.O. Wilson
Biologist Edward O. Wilson takes us through several natural stimuli that humans don't understand yet are used by various animals to navigate and communicate within communities.
Biologist Edward O. Wilson takes us through several natural stimuli that humans don't understand yet are used by various animals to navigate and communicate within communities. Examples include infrared sensing, echolocation, electrical perception, and pheromones. As the world's leading expert on ants, Wilson explains how entire colonies structure their societies around the sense of smell and taste via pheromones.
E.O. Wilson on the Importance of Biodiversity
The famous biologist discusses his life's work in conservation and his efforts to save the ecosphere.
Edward O. Wilson claims that the biosphere is incredibly delicate and without a change in behavior we will irreversibly destroy the biodiversity on the planet.
Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist (Myrmecology, a branch of entomology), researcher (sociobiology, biodiversity), theorist (consilience, biophilia), and naturalist (conservationism). Wilson is known for his career as a scientist, his advocacy for environmentalism, and his secular humanist ideas concerned with religious and ethical matters.
A Harvard professor for four decades, he has written twenty books, won two Pulitzer prizes, and discovered hundreds of new species. Considered to be one of the world's greatest living scientists, Dr. Wilson is often called "the father of biodiversity," (a word that he coined). He is the Pellegrino University Research Professor, Emeritus in Entomology for the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism.
