edwardowilson

I would not have challenged the theory of inclusive fitness with my two mathematician colleagues had we not reviewed again and again the key parts of our argument. We not only examined the evidence with an editor of Nature who came to the US for this purpose, but passed it in front of other mathematicians and biological experts. We are completely confident of our challenge and the correction in theory that we have proposed. We are backed solidly by mathematicians and many other of the leading experts on social insects and plan in the near future two articles recently completed that in my judgement should close the controversy.

Thanks for all the kind words. I'll do my best to answer a few of these; sorry for the ones I missed!

What was a personal scientific theory that you were certain of early in your career that later in your career you found to be completely false or off base? I was convinced believer in the theory of kin selection in the 1970s and 1980s. But subsequently, with more study and new information from many directions, saw that it was fundamentally flawed. I abandoned it and with a group of mathematicians and other biologists, introduced a much more supportable of theory of multilevel selection to account for the origin of altruism and advanced social behavior. I have been called a traitor because of this and I am indeed a traitor. All major advances in science are made by treason!

how do amateur scientists who have not followed the traditional academic path into the fields of research get involved into making an impact in their field of study? without intending unduly to promote my recent book, let me refer you to its many recommendations on how to become engaged with scientific research. I worked hard myself to get these various ideas across to an audience of those who have beginning or more marginal interest in science.

What was the greatest "aha!" moment of your career? It was discovery in an experiment that lasted less than an hour, in which I found the trail pheromone of ants for the first time and discovered that the ants not only followed the trail but also started doing a lot of other complicated things. It was then that I realized that this discovery had revealed the existence of a much more complex chemical communication in these insects then had been suspected before.

Asimov was a genius in science fiction with an amazingly wide-ranging imagination. However, I don't recall that he made many original discoveries in science, if any. So, if this not too presumptuous, it maybe true that the first thing that passes the mind is: "Hmmm...there is something different here" but quickly the successful scientist learns and thinks enough to say, "a-ha! I think..."

I certainly do believe in more science in the popular culture, and we need many more gifted communicators to achieve it.

Unless we solve the colony collapse syndrome and build up new stocks of honeybees, the result will be a severe loss to agriculture, costing as high as billions of dollars.