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]]