E.O. Wilson Live
Attended a talk by EO Wilson today. Yup, the same second named one of the MacArthur and Wilson Theory of Island Biogeography. The ecology fangirl in me gave a little squeal when the talk was first announced. Remarkably, the 700-seat Kenan Auditorium was filled to capacity today, and for a talk by a biologist!
He kicked off with a hypothetical letter to a religious leader, asking for reconciliation between science and religion, in order to protect creation. What creation? Biodiversity of course! All that live and roam on this Earth.
"Where is biodiversity? It's everywhere!" From the peak of Everest to the depths of the deepest ocean; more bacteria thrive within a handful of soil than there are people in Singapore.
I guess we didn't gain any deep insight or startling new knowledge from the talk and discussion, but it's just inspiring to see this person, who shaped the early research into metapopulation ecology and social biology, share his anecdotes and his musings on the state of the world today.
And there are always little nuggets to take home and ponder about. Like did you know that Conservation International calculated that to save all the biological hotspots in the world, it would take US$50billion? It seems like a lot, but it's 1/1000th of the world's annual GDP, and only needed as a one-time payment.
As usual, didn't bring a book along for the signing. Was quite content to just sit and listen, plus, you should have seen the queue that formed after the talk!
He kicked off with a hypothetical letter to a religious leader, asking for reconciliation between science and religion, in order to protect creation. What creation? Biodiversity of course! All that live and roam on this Earth.
"Where is biodiversity? It's everywhere!" From the peak of Everest to the depths of the deepest ocean; more bacteria thrive within a handful of soil than there are people in Singapore.
I guess we didn't gain any deep insight or startling new knowledge from the talk and discussion, but it's just inspiring to see this person, who shaped the early research into metapopulation ecology and social biology, share his anecdotes and his musings on the state of the world today.
And there are always little nuggets to take home and ponder about. Like did you know that Conservation International calculated that to save all the biological hotspots in the world, it would take US$50billion? It seems like a lot, but it's 1/1000th of the world's annual GDP, and only needed as a one-time payment.
As usual, didn't bring a book along for the signing. Was quite content to just sit and listen, plus, you should have seen the queue that formed after the talk!
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