Alex Wild on insects, science, and photography
Margaret Atwood, among the most talented novelists of my lifetime, moderates a discussion on Ed Wilson’s Anthill: Wilson draws explicit parallels between ant colonies and human civilizations. Each arises, builds itself up, fights off competitors, flourishes, goes into decline, and eventually perishes, overwhelmed by stronger invaders. Is this parallel fully merited? Is there an implication [...]
due out in April 2010
…and it’s about ants, of course: The Trailhead Queen was dead. At first, there was no overt sign that her long life was ending: no fever, no spasms, no farewells. She simply sat on the floor of the royal chamber and died. As in life, her body was prone and immobile, her legs and antennae [...]
From the NOVA episode “Lord of the Ants” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HKl8Luuotw]
Sorry to keep harping on Hoelldobler & Wilson’s The Superorganism. But Wilson’s section on ant evolution is so bad, so out of touch with the state of the field that I can’t help but to rant. Both Chapter 7 (The Rise of the Ants) and Chapter 8 (Ponerine Ants: The Great Radiation) are predicated on [...]
Who is supposed to read The Superorganism? I can’t really tell. While I’m enjoying Holldobler & Wilson’s latest tome, I am perplexed at the book’s target audience. The text switches between broadly anthropomorphic prose clearly aimed for a general audience and obtuse jargon digestible only by the experienced biologist. I get the feeling that the [...]
In the comments, Eric Eaton makes an observation: I’m left wondering (just a little) why Alex has such a beef with Dr. Wilson. This is not the first post taking a jab at Wilson, so while Alex makes an excellent point, I’m also sensing some underlying issues here…. Eric is right there’s an issue. It [...]
From an interview with E. O. Wilson: [Q:]Are ants better at anything than humans? [Wilson:] Human beings have not yet made an accommodation with the rest of life—whereas ants, whose history dates back more than 100 million years, have achieved that balance, mostly by specializing among the 14,000 known species in terms of where they [...]
My copy arrived from Amazon the day before yesterday. I’ve not given it anything more than a couple cursory thumb-throughs, but I’m immediately left with the impression of schizophrenia. The bits on social organization, behavior, communication, and levels of selection- mostly Bert Hoelldobler’s sections- seem an engaging and modern review, while the chapters dealing with [...]
I’ve just received the following notice about an upcoming NOVA show on the life of biologist/myrmecologist E. O. Wilson: NOVA is excited to partner with organizations that share our passion for scientific discovery as we spread the word about upcoming shows. On Tuesday, May 20, we invite you to join us for a look at [...]
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
Myrmecos- derived from the ancient greek word for "ant"- hosts Alex's musings about these and other little creatures that share our planet.
Questions? Email alwild [at] myrmecos.net; or follow @Myrmecos on Twitter.
