Sociobiology
Videos
Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology,
E. O. Wilson, a central figure in the history of sociobiology, from the publication in 1975 of his book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
Nikolaas Tinbergen, whose work influenced sociobiology
Darwin's finches by Gould
Tree of life by Haeckel
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis is a book by the biologist E. O. Wilson. It helped start the sociobiology debate, one of the great scientific controversies in biology of the 20th century and part of t
Sociobiology
…term "sociobiology" originated at least as early as the 1940s; the concept did not gain major recognition until the publication of E. O. Wilson's book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis in 1975. The field quickly became the subject of scientific controversy. Critics, led by Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould, argued that genes…
Cover of the first edition
Social evolution: ant societies have evolved elaborate caste structures, in this species, Atta cephalotes, widely different in size and function.
Social mechanisms: aggressive display of an Australian magpie
Animals such as elephants have complex societies. Here, two males struggle for dominance.