Frans de Waal is a Dutch-born biologist and one of the world's most respected primatologists. In 2007 Time magazine selected him as one of the World's 100 most influential people. He currently works at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University, Atlanta.
His writing and science are infectiously good -- Adam Rutherford * Guardian * There is a widely held assumption that humans are hard-wired for relentless and ruthless competition... Frans de Waal sees nature differently - as a biological legacy in which empathy, not mere self interest, is shared by humans, bonobos and animals -- Ben Macintyre * The Times * A pioneer in primate studies, Frans de Waal sees our better side in chimps, especially our capacity for empathy * Wall Street Journal * Freshly topical ... a corrective to the idea that all animals - human and otherwise - are selfish and unfeeling to the core * Economist * Warm, engaging and empathetic ... the more we learn about nature, the more richly we're able to imagine a better society * Independent *