Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Today, we're going to spend some time in the

Animal Kingdom. In a bit, Atlantic writer Ed Yong is on the pod, talking about his new book

that sort of lets us feel how animals experience the world. But first, we want to play for you

this interview from 2010. It's between NPR's Robert

Siegel and the famed biologist and conservationist E.O. Wilson, who just written his first fiction

novel called Ant Hill. And Wilson says this really interesting thing about the nature of books

and book publishing. He says, while people respect nonfiction, they read fiction, which is something

important to keep in mind, especially if you're trying to do something big, like save the planet.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

At the heart of E.O. Wilson's first novel are 70 pages that only he could have written.

In those pages, the characters are ants, or more accurately, the characters are ant colonies.

Professor Wilson, who is a distinguished Harvard biologist, has taught us over the years that an ant colony possesses a communal intelligence.

Individuals serve limited designated purposes.

The novel is called Ant Hill, which is also used metaphorically to describe human society, for example, Harvard Law School.

But it's the literal Ant Hill that I confess I like the best and kept me most closely riveted.

Ed Wilson, welcome back.

Thank you so much.

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