Biologist Lord Robert May—He Brings Order to Chaos

Oct 1, 2002 5:00 AMNov 12, 2019 6:29 AM

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Photograph by Clive Frost Pick a thorny scientific issue--genetically modified foods, stem-cell research, conservation--and Lord Robert May of Oxford, head of the Royal Society of London and former chief scientific advisor to the British government, is most likely sitting in the middle of the fray. In the 1970s, May, a theoretical biologist at Oxford University, showed how to apply chaos theory to biology. Today he is developing mathematical techniques for modeling biodiversity and for charting the spread of infectious disease. He shared his views with associate editor Kathy A. Svitil.

Does your work support Stephen Wolfram's recent book, A New Kind of Science, in which he claims we can model all of nature using simple, self-replicating, mathematical rules?

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group