Lyall Watson 816362 224997537 2008-07-11T11:21:12Z 92.3.185.12 [[Image:Lyall Watson.jpg|thumb|190px|Lyall Watson]] '''Lyall Watson''' ([[April 12]], [[1939]] - [[25 June]] [[2008]]) was a [[botany|botanist]], [[zoology|zoologist]], [[biology|biologist]], [[anthropologist]], [[ethology|ethologist]], and author of many [[new age]] books, among the most popular of which is the best seller ''[[Supernature (book)|Supernature]]''. Lyall Watson tried to make sense of natural and [[supernatural]] phenomena in biological terms. He is credited with the first published use of the term [[Hundredth Monkey]] in his 1979 book, ''Lifetide''. It is a hypothesis that aroused both interest and ire in the scientific community and continues to be a topic of discussion over a quarter century later. He served as director of the [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]] zoo, an expedition leader to various locales, a writer and producer for the [[BBC]], and [[Seychelles]] commissioner for the [[International Whaling Commission]]. In the late 1980s he presented [[Channel 4]]'s coverage of [[sumo]] tournaments. He died on 25th June 2008 in Australia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lyall Watson|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2236703/Lyall-Watson.html|publisher=The Telegraph|date=2008-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Lyall Watson|url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/views/obituaries/2008/07/04/lyall-watson-64375-21226576/|publisher=Liverpool Daily News|date=2008-07-04}}</ref> == Education == Born in South Africa, Watson had an early fascination for nature in the surrounding bush, learning from [[Zulu]] and [[!Kung people|!Kung]] bushmen. Watson attended boarding school at [[Rondebosch Boys' School|Rondebosch Boys' High School]] in [[Cape Town]], and in 1958 earned degrees in botany and zoology before securing an apprenticeship in [[palaentology]] under [[Raymond Dart]], leading on to anthropological studies in [[Germany]] and the [[Netherlands]]. He had additional degrees in chemistry, geology, marine biology and ecology, indicating a broad range of interests. Watson earned a doctor of philosophy degree in [[ethology]] under [[Desmond Morris]] at [[London Zoo]]. == Writing career == Lyall Watson began writing his first book, ''[[Omnivore (book)|Omnivore]]'' during the early 1960s while under the supervision of Desmond Morris, and wrote more than 20 others. == Bibliography == *''Omnivore: The Role of Food in Human Evolution'' (1972) *''Supernature: A Natural History of the Supernatural'' (1973) *''The Biology of Death: A Matter of Life and Death'' (1974) *''The Romeo Error'' (1974) *''Gifts of Unknown Things: An Indonesian Adventure'' (1976) *''Lifetide: a Biology of the Unconscious'' (1979) *''Whales of the World: A Field Guide to the Cetaceans'' (1981) *''[[Lightning Bird]]: An African Adventure'' (1982) *''Heaven's Breath: A Natural History of the Wind'' (1984) *''Bali Entranced: A Celebration of Ritual'' (1985) - published in Japanese only *''Dreams of Dragons: Essays on the Edge of Natural History'' (1986) *''Beyond Supernature: A New Natural History of the Supernatural'' (1986) *''The Water Planet: A Celebration of the Wonder of Water'' (1988) *''Neophilia: The Tradition of the New'' (1989) *''Sumo: A Guide to Sumo Wrestling'' (1989) *''The Nature of Things: The Strange Behaviour of Inanimate Objects'' (1990) *''Lasting Nostalgia: Essays Out of Africa'' (1992) - publishes in Japanese only *''Turtle Islands: Ritual in Indonesia'' (1995) *''Dark Nature: A Natural History of Evil'' (1995) *''Monsoon: Essays on the Indian Ocean'' (1996) - published in Japanese only *''Lost Cradle: A Collection of Dialogues'' (1997) - published in Japanese only *''Warriors, Warthogs, and Wisdom: Growing up in Africa'' (1997) *''Jacobson's Organ and the Remarkable Nature of Smell'' (2000) *''Elephantoms: Tracking the Elephant'' (2002) *''The Whole Hog: Exploring the Extraordinary Potential of Pigs'' (2004) ==References== {{reflist}} * [http://www.worldwhoswho.com/views/entry.html?id=wat-0230 WATSON, Lyall] International Who's Who. accessed [[September 3]], [[2006]]. ==External links== {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Lyall}} [[Category:Rondebosch Old Boys]] [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:2008 deaths]] [[Category:Biologists]] [[ja:ライアル・ワトソン]]