Paul Ehrlich, professor of biological sciences at Stanford University, and Edward O. Wilson, professor of science at Harvard University, have been selected by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to share the 1990 Crafoord Prize. The two scientists will split the $240,000 award, which honors the field of population biology and the conservation of biological diversity. The prize is named for the late Holger Crafoord, former founder and chairman of a medical supply firm in Sweden, and his wife, Anna-Greta.
Ehrlich, 57, was cited by the academy for his research on the dynamics and genetics of fragmented populations and the importance of the distribution pattern for their survival probabilities. He calls the Crafoord Prize a "substitute Nobel" because it honors an area that is not a focus of the Nobel Prize. Winning the prize is "a great personal pleasure," says Ehrlich, adding that the honor is extra special because he's ...
