E.O. Wilson Documentary Wins Conservation Hero Award

Earlier this month 1000 entries competed in the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. The selection of films is quite impressive. One of the winners E.O. Wilson-Of Ants and Men  is currently available for viewing on PBS Video by clicking on the photo below.

E.O. Wilson is a renowned biologist who founded the concept of "social biology" through his life-long study of ants and their societies. He is a Pulitzer prize winner and professor emeritus at Harvard. In 2005 the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity foundation was formed and named after his significant contributions to the importance of biodiversity on the planet. The film, through the words of Wilson, some breathtaking photography, and inspiring music brings the viewer into the fascinating world of life on earth from insects to humans. His optimism, even after observing so much destruction of the earth's biosphere, calls us all to action to do our part to ensure the survival of the diversity in nature. After watching the movie, it's easy to see why it won both the Best Writing and Conservation Hero Awards at Jackson Hole.

Specimens from Museum of Natural History, Berlin

In a related story this week, the New York Times reported on the massive effort being undertaken at the Berlin Museum of Natural History to digitize and publish on-line the museum's entire collection of insect specimens (about 15 million.) Having access to, and being able to study these older species, is critical to understanding how habitats have changed and speciies have evolved, and is imperative to planning for the future.