New evidence about E.O. Wilson and race

Harvard University Professor E.O. Wilson in his office at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. USA. Professor Wilson is a biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist and author. He is considered to be the world's leading authority on the study of ants. Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

Did Edward O. Wilson — Harvard professor, iconic biologist, champion of global biodiversity — promote racist ideas? For years, some scientists have suggested the very question is rooted in smear campaigns and misreadings of Wilson's work. Other scholars have argued that racism and sexism are apparent in Wilson's writing on human evolution.

Since Wilson's death in late December 2021, at the age of 92, the question has been subject to renewed debate, after an opinion piece in Scientific American describing Wilson's "dangerous ideas" set off a backlash from some scientists.