Kingdom of Ants
José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Kingdom of Ants
José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World
About this book
One of the earliest New World naturalists, José Celestino Mutis began his professional life as a physician in Spain and ended it as a scientist and natural philosopher in modern-day Colombia. Drawing on new translations of Mutis's nearly forgotten writings, this fascinating story of scientific adventure in eighteenth-century South America retrieves Mutis's contributions from obscurity.
In 1760, the 28-year-old Mutis—newly appointed as the personal physician of the Viceroy of the New Kingdom of Granada—embarked on a 48-year exploration of the natural world of northern South America. His thirst for knowledge led Mutis to study the region's flora, become a professor of mathematics, construct the first astronomical observatory in the Western Hemisphere, and amass one of the largest scientific libraries in the world. He translated Newton's writings and penned essays about Copernicus; lectured extensively on astronomy, geography, and meteorology; and eventually became a priest. But, as two-time Pulitzer Prize–winner Edward O. Wilson and Spanish natural history scholar José M. Gómez Durán reveal in this enjoyable and illustrative account, one of Mutis's most magnificent accomplishments involved ants.
Acting at the urging of Carl Linnaeus—the father of taxonomy—shortly after he arrived in the New Kingdom of Granada, Mutis began studying the ants that swarmed everywhere. Though he lacked any entomological training, Mutis built his own classification for the species he found and named at a time when New World entomology was largely nonexistent. His unorthodox catalog of army ants, leafcutters, and other six-legged creatures found along the banks of the Magdalena provided a starting point for future study.
Wilson and Durán weave a compelling, fast-paced story of ants on the march and the eighteenth-century scientist who followed them. A unique glance into the early world of science exploration, Kingdom of Ants is a delight to read and filled with intriguing information.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Prologue
- ONE: Who Was Mutis?
- TWO: The Making of an Eighteenth-Century Naturalist
- THREE: The Scientific Contributions of José Celestino Mutis
- FOUR: Mutis Seeks Advice
- FIVE: Mutis Begins His Study of Ants
- SIX: Ants Are Transported by Ships
- SEVEN: Ant Plants and Plant Ants
- EIGHT: Mutis Learns about the Mule-Train (Leafcutter) Ants
- NINE: Unending Struggles against the Mule-Train Ants
- TEN: Ant Wars
- ELEVEN: Mutis Solves the Mystery of the Nomadic Pataloas
- TWELVE: Mutis Measures the Size of an Army-Ant Colony
- THIRTEEN: Mutis Tracks the Armies of Ants
- FOURTEEN: Mutis Studies the Gender of Ants and Makes an Amazing Discovery
- FIFTEEN: Mutis’ Other Ants
- SIXTEEN: How Good a Scientist Was Mutis?
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments