Ernst Mayr, March 2002

Ernst Mayr, the leading evolutionary biologist of the twentieth century, is interviewed by Mila Pollock and Jan Witkowski in Bedford, Massachusetts, on March 31, 2002.

Ernst Mayr reminisces about his visits to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory during the 1940s and 1950s and his relationship with its leading scientists. Other topics discussed are his relationship and work with Theodosius Dobzhansky; Jim Watson at Harvard and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Charles Darwin, and scientific writing.

Ernst Mayr discusses the following in his interview: Scene 1. Ornithology -- Scene 2. Jared Diamond: the New Guinea expeditions -- Scene 3. Russia, 1972 -- Scene 4. Harvard University -- Scene 5. Advent of molecular biology -- Scene 6. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory -- Scene 7. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: atmosphere -- Scene 8. A summer day at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: 1940s -- Scene 9. 1950 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium "Origin and evolution of man" -- Scene 10. 1955 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium: "Population genetics" -- Scene 11. Theodosius Dobzhansky -- Scene 12. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Drosophila research -- Scene 13. Barbara McClintock -- Scene 14. Milislav Demerec -- Scene 15. Max Delbrück -- Scene 16. Avery's experiment: DNA is the hereditary material -- Scene 17. G. G. Simpson: photograph -- Scene 18. Bruce Wallace: photograph -- Scene 19. Historian: Michael Ruse -- Scene 20. Influence on Jim Watson -- Scene 21 Jim Watson as a young man -- Scene 22. Jim Watson and "The double helix" -- Scene 23. Jim Watson, "Lucky Jim" -- Scene 24. Ed Wilson and Jim Watson -- Scene 25. Bringing Jim Watson to Harvard -- Scene 26. A personal message to Jim Watson -- Scene 27. Harvard biology department -- Scene 28. Physics vs. biology -- Scene 29. Science and writing -- Scene 30. Charles Darwin's books and letters -- Scene 31. Non-scientific interests.