Stephen R. Kellert - The Biophilia Hypothesis

Beston, H. 1990. The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod. In R. Finch and J. Elder (eds.), The Norton Book of Nature Writing. New York: W. W. Norton.

JARED DIAMOND is a professor of physiology at the University of California Medical School working on laboratory studies on the evolutionary design of membrane transport mechanisms and undertaking field studies of New Guinea bird ecology and behavior. His popular science articles appear regularly in Natural History, Discover, and Nature magazines. His recent book, The Third Chimpanzee (HarperCollins, 1992), is an account of how language, art, and other apparently unique human characteristics arose from animal precursors.

MADHAV GADGIL studied biology in India before obtaining a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is a professor at the Indian Institute of Science and conducts both field research and mathematical modeling in population biology, conservation biology, and human ecology. He is active in Indian nature conservation and ecodevelopment efforts. Dr. Gadgil is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He has also served as a member of the Science Advisory Council to the prime minister of India.

JUDITH H. HEERWAGEN is a research assistant professor in psychosocial nursing and in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a psychologist whose work has focused on behavioral ecology and the application of evolutionary theory to human/ environmental interactions. She has conducted research on environmental preferences and aesthetics and is currently studying the relationship between the environment and human well-being as it relates to gender and life transitions. She is presently a visiting scientist at the Battelle Human Affairs Research Center in Seattle, where she is investigating organizational ecology issues.

AARON KATCHER received his medical degree and psychiatric training at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is currently on the faculty in the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine. His research interests have included the impact of emotion and dialogue on physiological states and the relationship between the social environment and disease. During the past twelve years, he has been investigating the influence of social relationships with animals and contact with nature on human behavior and health.

STEPHEN R. KELLERT is a professor at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has conducted extensive research and published widely on the subject of human values and perceptions relating to nature, particularly animals. He is a member of the board of directors of the Student Conservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Xerces Society. He has received awards from the Society for Conservation Biology, the International Foundation for Environmental Conservation, and the National Wildlife Federation.

ELIZABETH ATWOOD LAWRENCE, a veterinarian and anthropologist, received her V.M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and her Ph.D. degree in social anthropology from Brown University. She is professor of environmental studies at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, where she teaches and conducts research on human/animal relationships. Dr. Lawrence is the author of three books and numerous papers dealing with human/animal relationships. Her honors include the Elsie Clews Parsons Award of the American Ethnological Society, the James Moody Award of the Southern Anthropological Society, and the International Distinguished Scholar Award of the Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations.

LYNN MARGULIS is Distinguished University Professor, Department of Biology, at the University of Massachusetts. She had a Sherman Fairchild Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She has contributed many original publications on cell biology and microbial evolution. She has also participated in the development of science teaching materials from elementary grades to graduate school. She has chaired the National Academy of Sciences Space Science Board Committee on Planetary Biology and Chemical Evolution. She is also a member of the Commonwealth Book Fund advisory board and codirector of the Planetary Biology Internship Committee (NASA Life Sciences, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole).