New Releases by Edward O Wilson

O papa da biodiversidade traça um abrangente e apaixonado painel da alarmante situação da ecologia no mundo de hoje, propondo soluções. Reconhecido no mundo todo como o papa da biodiversidade, Wilson analisa aqui os processos adaptativos responsáveis pela criação de novas espécies e descreve os cataclismos que interromperam a evolução e empobreceram a diversidade nos últimos seiscentos milhões de anos. Os cinco primeiros desastres ecológicos (tais como meteoritos e mudanças climáticas) custaram à evolução entre dez e cem milhões de anos de reparação. Já o sexto grande espasmo de extinção na Terra, desta vez inteiramente causado pelo homem, pode não ter conserto. Wilson aponta fortes indícios de que o planeta caminha para um grave e talvez irreversível processo de degradação ambiental: declínio da população de pássaros nos Estados Unidos, extinção de espécies de peixes de água doce na África e na Ásia, drástica redução de flora e fauna nas regiões tropicais desmatadas. As saídas que o autor propõe são complexas, à altura do problema, mas factíveis, e passam por conciliar produção, lucro e proteção ambiental. Desafiadoras, elas permitem que a consciência ecológica e as práticas sociais alcancem novo patamar, tanto nos estudos quanto nas atitudes individuais e políticas de preservação do meio ambiente.

In his new preface E. O. Wilson reflects on how he came to write this book: how The Insect Societies led him to write Sociobiology, and how the political and religious uproar that engulfed that book persuaded him to write another book that would better explain the relevance of biology to the understanding of human behavior.

Una obra revolucionaria, la historia de la evolución humana y animal más importante desde El origen de las especies de Darwin, por el más insigne de sus sucesores. ¿De dónde venimos? ¿Qué somos? ¿Adónde vamos? En una obra apasionante que culmina el trabajo de toda una vida, Edward O. Wilson plantea estas tres cuestiones fundamentales y demuestra que la religión, la filosofía y la reflexión no pueden dar respuestas por sí solas, y que la única forma realista de resolver el enigma de nuestra condición humana pasa por la erudición científica. El más insigne sucesor de Darwin rediseña la historia de la evolución y recurre a su vasto conocimiento de la biología y del comportamiento social para revelar cómo la «selección de grupo» puede ser el único modelo que explique el origen del hombre, su dominación y su posterior conquista del planeta. La crítica ha dicho... «Una explicación de gran envergadura acerca del ascenso humano a la dominación de la biosfera, redondeada con extensas reflexiones sobre el arte, la ética, la lengua y la religión.» The New York Times

Cette collection a pour vocation de mettre le vivant au cœur d’éclairages ou de rêveries transdisciplinaires de tous les temps : éthologues, philosophes, zoologues, ethnologues, systématiciens, folkloristes, naturalistes, explorateurs et créateurs (romanciers, poètes, illustrateurs) pourront s’y rencontrer dans le buisson foisonnant des espèces dont le devenir est l’un des enjeux majeurs de la nôtre. Biophilia est emprunté au titre éponyme de Edward O. Wilson qui inaugure donc tout naturellement la collection. (Fabienne Raphoz)

New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year (Nonfiction) Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (Nonfiction) From the most celebrated heir to Darwin comes a groundbreaking book on evolution, the summa work of Edward O. Wilson''s legendary career. Sparking vigorous debate in the sciences, The Social Conquest of Earth upends “the famous theory that evolution naturally encourages creatures to put family first” (Discover). Refashioning the story of human evolution, Wilson draws on his remarkable knowledge of biology and social behavior to demonstrate that group selection, not kin selection, is the premier driving force of human evolution. In a work that James D. Watson calls “a monumental exploration of the biological origins of the human condition,” Wilson explains how our innate drive to belong to a group is both a “great blessing and a terrible curse” (Smithsonian). Demonstrating that the sources of morality, religion, and the creative arts are fundamentally biological in nature, the renowned Harvard University biologist presents us with the clearest explanation ever produced as to the origin of the human condition and why it resulted in our domination of the Earth’s biosphere.

The book that launched a movement: “Wilson speaks with a humane eloquence which calls to us all” (Oliver Sacks). Called “one of the greatest men alive” by The Times of London, E. O. Wilson proposes an historic partnership between scientists and religious leaders to preserve Earth’s rapidly vanishing biodiversity.

Astonishing, inspirational, even magical: a naturalist''s novel about an Alabama boy who heroically tries to save a sacred forest.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of "The Ants" render the extraordinary lives of the social insects--ants, bees, wasps, and termites--in this visually spectacular volume. 110 color and 100 black-and-white illustrations.

Edward O. Wilson -- University Professor at Harvard, winner of two Pulitzer prizes, eloquent champion of biodiversity -- is arguably one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century. His career represents both a blueprint and a challenge to those who seek to explore the frontiers of scientific understanding. Yet, until now, little has been told of his life and of the important events that have shaped his thought.In Naturalist, Wilson describes for the first time both his growth as a scientist and the evolution of the science he has helped define. He traces the trajectory of his life -- from a childhood spent exploring the Gulf Coast of Alabama and Florida to life as a tenured professor at Harvard -- detailing how his youthful fascination with nature blossomed into a lifelong calling. He recounts with drama and wit the adventures of his days as a student at the University of Alabama and his four decades at Harvard University, where he has achieved renown as both teacher and researcher.As the narrative of Wilson''s life unfolds, the reader is treated to an inside look at the origin and development of ideas that guide today''s biological research. Theories that are now widely accepted in the scientific world were once untested hypotheses emerging from one mans''s broad-gauged studies. Throughout Naturalist, we see Wilson''s mind and energies constantly striving to help establish many of the central principles of the field of evolutionary biology.The story of Wilson''s life provides fascinating insights into the making of a scientist, and a valuable look at some of the most thought-provoking ideas of our time.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson is one of the leading biologists and philosophical thinkers of our time. In this compelling collection, Wilson''s observations range from the tiny glands of ants to the nature of the living universe. Many of the pieces are considered landmarks in evolutionary biology, ecology, and behavioral biology. Wilson explores topics as diverse as slavery in ants, the genetic basis of societal structure, the discovery of the taxon cycle, the original formulation of the theory of island biogeography, a critique of subspecies as a unit of classification, and the conservation of life''s diversity. Each article is presented in its original form, dating from Wilson''s first published article in 1949 to his most recent exploration of the natural world. Preceding each piece is a brief essay by Wilson that explains the context in which the article was written and provides insights into the scientist himself and the debates of the time. This collection enables us to share Wilson''s various vantage points and to view the complexities of nature through his eyes. Wilson aficionados, along with readers discovering his work for the first time, will find in this collection a world of beauty, complexity, and challenge.

CD-ROM contains high resolution digital images of most of the type species.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them." —The Wall Street Journal One of our greatest scientists—and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for On Human Nature and The Ants—gives us a work of visionary importance that may be the crowning achievement of his career. In Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment''s search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities. Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principles underlying works of art from cave-drawings to Lolita. Presenting the latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratorical eloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole, Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman.

La fascinación por la idea del saber unificado atrapó a este autor desde su época de juventud, cuando estudiaba biología en la Universidad de Alabama y su mundo intelectual estaba marcado por las corrientes naturalistas. Tras largos años de investigación y actividad docente, su trabajo desembocó en una profunda y novedosa reflexión filosófica enmarcada en el campo de la teoría del conocimiento. La unidad del conocimiento -consilience, según el término utilizado por Edward O. Wilson- de las distintas ramas del saber, se erige como objetivo fundamental para el futuro de las ciencias.

" Perhaps more than any other scientist of our century, Edward O. Wilson has scrutinized animals in their natural settings, tweezing out the dynamics of their social organization, their relationship with their environments, and their behavior, not only for what it tells us about the animals themselves, but for what it can tell us about human nature and our own behavior. He has brought the fascinating and sometimes surprising results of these studies to general readers through a remarkable collection of books, including The Diversity of Life, The Ants, On Human Nature, and Sociobiology. The grace and precision with which he writes of seemingly complex topics has earned him two Pulitzer prizes, and the admiration of scientists and general readers around the world. In Search of Nature presents for the first time a collection of the seminal short writings of Edward O. Wilson, addressing in brief and eminently readable form the themes that have actively engaged this remarkable intellect throughout his career. ""The central theme of the essays is that wild nature and human nature are closely interwoven. I argue that the only way to make complete sense of either is by examining both closely and together as products of evolution.... Human behavior is seen not just as the product of recorded history, ten thousand years recent, but of deep history, the combined genetic and cultural changes that created humanity over hundreds of thousands of years. We need this longer view, I believe, not only to understand our species, but more firmly to secure its future. The book is composed of three sections. ""Animal Nature, Human Nature"" ranges from serpents to sharks to sociality in ants. It asks how and why the universal aversion to snakes might have evolved in humans and primates, marvels at the diversity of the world''s 350 species of shark and how their adaptive success has affected our conception of the world, and admonishes us to ""be careful of little lives""-to see in the construction of insect social systems ""another grand experiment in evolution for our delectation. ""The Patterns of Nature"" probes at the foundation of sociobiology, asking what is the underlying genetic basis of social behavior, and what that means for the future of the human species. Beginning with altruism and aggression, the two poles of behavior, these essays describe how science, like art, adds new information to the accumulated wisdom, establishing new patterns of explanation and inquiry. In ""The Bird of Paradise: The Hunter and the Poet,"" the analytic and synthetic impulses-exemplified in the sciences and the humanities-are called upon to give full definition to the human prospect. ""Nature''s Abundance"" celebrates biodiversity, explaining its fundamental importance to the continued existence of humanity. From ""The Little Things That Run the World""-invertebrate species that make life possible for everyone and everything else-to the emergent belief of many scientists in the human species'' possible innate affinity for other living things, known as biophilia, Wilson sets forth clear and compelling reasons why humans should concern themselves with species loss. ""Is Humanity Suicidal?"" compares the environmentalist''s view with that of the exemptionalist, who holds that since humankind is transcendent in intelligence and spirit, our species must have been released from the iron laws of ecology that bind all other species. Not without optimism, Wilson concludes that we are smart enough and have time enough to avoid an environmental catastrophe of civilization-threatening dimensions-if we are willing both to redirect our science and technology and to reconsider our self-image as a species. In Search of Nature is a lively and accessible introduction to the writings of one of the most brilliant scientists of the 20th century. Imaginatively illustrated by noted artist Laura Southworth, it is a book all readers will treasure."

El exito obtenido por la Historia del tiempo, de Stephen Hawking, propicio la creacion, en 1991, de esta coleccion de divulgacion cientifica que fue dirigida durante largo tiempo por dos personas de formacion humanistica: de ahi ciertas contaminaciones al inicio de la coleccion. Sin embargo, cuando Jose Manuel Sanchez Ron se hizo cargo de ella, dio un aprobado a la gestion anterior. En esta coleccion, quiza la mas ambiciosa de todas las de divulgacion cientifica que se editan en espanol, se han publicado obras de Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Sagan, lan Stewart, Edward O. Wilson, Antonio Damasio, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Ilya Prigogine, John D. Barrow, Rita Levi Montalcini, Richard P. Feynman, Roger Penrose, Steven Weinberg, Rachel Carson, Francisco Garcia Olmedo, Francisco Yndurain o Jose Manuel Sanchez Ron. Apasionante relato a traves del tiempo, que traza los procesos que crean nuevas especies en estallidos de radiacion adaptativa y senala las catastrofes que han interrumpido la evolucion y hanreducido la diversidad mundial durante los ultimos 600 millones de anos.

Cientifico viajero y buen narrador, Wilson alterna la descripcion de diversos ambitos de la naturaleza con reflexiones sobre el origen comun de la ciencia y la poesia, para hablarnos de la organizacion de las hormigas, de la presencia de la serpiente en las ciencias y las humanidades, de la belleza del ave del paraiso o de la inteligencia de los cerdos. Todo esto en nombre del amor a la vida y a la naturaleza.

Biophilia is Edward O. Wilson’s most personal book, an evocation of his own response to nature and an eloquent statement of the conservation ethic. Wilson argues that our natural affinity for life—biophilia—is the very essence of our humanity and binds us to all other living things.

本书主要内容是用生物学的理论来研究社会学,即用社会学的观点去“拟人化”地研究自然界中的动物。本书主要材料来源是美国科学院院士威尔逊的《社会生物学》1980年缩节本.

La sociobiología puede ser uno de los más interesantes e importantes conceptos nuevos, relativo a la gente y a su conducta, de nuestra época. La sociobiología afirma que toda conducta social tiene una base biológica que es genética. Los sociobiólogos son neodarwinistas que prestan más atención al origen de la conducta de las especies que a su evolución anatómica. Los darwinistas, defensores de la teoría de la selección natural, y los mendelianos, que propugnan la evolución mediante mutaciones genéticas favorables, han sostenido interminables debates durante décadas. En esta obra, el profesor E. O. Wilson presenta un análisis reconciliador de estos descubrimientos en sociobiología, basado en la síntesis de unos elementos científicos que se complementan. Wilson describe específicamente los modelos de conducta en numerosas especies distintas de animales - agresión, cuidado de las crías, cooperación, altruismo y otras características básicas.