Mark W. Moffett is recognized for his discovery of new species and behavior in remote parts of the world. His latest book, Adventures with the Ants, examines the parallels between human and ant societies based on his travels to the Amazon, Congo, Australia, Iran, Borneo, and elsewhere. He provides details on how ants live and dominate their ecosystems through strikingly human behaviors like hunting, fighting, building, recycling, enslaving, and even voting and creating marketplaces.

In 2009, the Smithsonian Institution presented Moffett’s exhibit on ants, which is now travelling the country. When he isn’t travelling, Moffett enjoys bringing science to the public through lectures and quirky appearances on the Colbert Report and Conan O’Brien.

In addition to being one of a select few to receive a Ph.D. from conservationist Edward O. Wilson at Harvard, Moffett has received awards for tree-climbing research from the Explorers Club, for exploration from the Roy Chapman Andrews Society, for writing from Harvard, and for photography from Pictures of the Year International.

Photo credit -  Brandon Harrison