It's a measure of naturalist Edward O. Wilson's unusual celebrity and professional prestige in the scientific community that this NOVA episode is narrated by Hollywood heavyweight Harrison Ford (who is also a staunch environmentalist). Like Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, Stephen Hawking, and other icons of scientific exploration, Wilson is able to convey his fascination with the natural world with infectious enthusiasm. Wilson's lifelong study of countless varieties of ants ultimately led him (with a big-picture worldview that some colleagues define as genius) to the revolutionary theories proposed in his controversial 1975 book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. By studying ants and other insects, Wilson was able to extrapolate evolutionary principles that could explain social behaviors throughout the animal kingdom, including that of humans. Wilson's argument that genetics could influence human behavior was considered outrageous in the ‘70s, but as Lord of the Ants demonstrates—through lively interviews with Wilson and many of his closest colleagues—his work has now become a cornerstone of biodiversity studies. Still boyish at 78, and blind in one eye since a fishing accident in his youth, Wilson himself provides most of the entertainment value in this biographical profile (surveying his childhood, college years, and emergence as one of the all-time giants of science) that also functions as a marvelous guided tour of the ant world as we've never seen it before. DVD extras include printable materials for educators. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)
Lord of the Ants
(2008) 54 min. DVD: $24.95. WGBH Boston Video. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-1-59375-829-5. Volume 23, Issue 6
Lord of the Ants
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