US: Renowned biologist Edward O Wilson a.k.a the "ant man" dies at 92

The pioneering Harvard biologist, Edward O Wilson has died at the age of 92 on December 26. He took the last breath in Burlington, US's Massachusetts. According to a statement released by Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, he was "called ‘Darwin’s natural heir,’ and was known affectionately as ‘the ant man’ for his pioneering work as an entomologist."

"It would be hard to understate Ed’s scientific achievements, but his impact extends to every facet of society. He was a true visionary with a unique ability to inspire and galvanize. He articulated, perhaps better than anyone, what it means to be human," David J. Prend, chairman of the board of EO Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, said in a statement.

During his life, he won Pulitzer Prize for his book, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. His book had achieved great success in 1975, in which he spelt out the evidence suggesting a link between human behaviour and genetics. According to AP, the work created a storm of controversy among activists and fellow academics who equated sociobiology’s groundbreaking theories with sexism, racism and Nazism. It was believed his sociobiology theories changed the field of biology and reignited the nature vs. nurture debate among scientists. Based on data about many species, Wilson claimed that social behaviours from warfare to altruism had a genetic basis. However, he too faced criticism as the experts argued that such a theory strengthened social inequity, including discrimination against women, by saying that the inequality is written in human genes.

Personal life and education

Wilson was born in 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama. As an only child whose parents divorced when he was 7, Wilson found comfort in nature, which he called his companion of choice. He also had to deal with the loss of sight in one eye in a fishing accident and, in his teens, a partial hearing loss. "He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1949. He received his PhD in biology from Harvard University in 1955 and became an assistant professor there in 1956. Wilson’s field research included stops in Australia, New Guinea and Sri Lanka, in addition to his ongoing work at home," according to an announcement posted on the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. He is survived by his daughter, Catherine, and her husband John.

(With inputs from AP)