Was Darwin Wrong?

A look into the exciting life of David Quammen

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Latest assignment is a story derived from an expedition to Franz Josef Land, a

remote archipelago in the Russian Arctic. I was up there on a boat for six weeks with
a team of very interesting scientists. This autumn Im also working on a proposal for
my next book, and have one assignment pending for Harpers, to be researched as
soon as I can get to New Zealand.
American conservationist and science non-fiction writer David Quammen certainly has
no lack of adventure in his life. As a contributing writer for National Geographic and author of
over 15 books David Quammen lives quietly in Montana with his wife and two large dogs.
Working for the betterment of the environment has taken him all across the globe. New Zealand
and remote islands in the Russian Arctic is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg of David
Quammens career.
After education at Yale and Oxford, David Quammen published his first book in 1970.
Titled To Walk the Line, this work of fiction discussed identity crises and racial conflicts.
Quammen professes heavy influence from author William Faulkner in his earlier works.
Strangely enough Quammen went on to publish another 4 more works of fiction before
discovering his passion for science writing. Quammen claims that the bulldozing of the
hardwood forest adjacent to his childhood home was his earliest wake up call to the
environmental situation. In 1981 Quammen began working for Outside Magazine, where he
published 4 nonfiction works, about what Quammen has dubbed Big Critters.

Visible nature, like boilerplate rhinos, Serengeti lions, and the endangered cheetah are what
interested Quammen the most for his 15 years at Outside Magazine. In 1999 Quammen got a job
offer from National Geographic to do a piece on a hiker trekking across central Africa, an
expedition known as the Megatransect. It was Quammens first opportunity to delve into a whole
new realm, and became a trip that forever changed his life. Before then, Quammen that had been
exposed to a different type of critter ecology. Trading tales with guides during his time in
Gabon, Quammen heard of stories of the destructive force of the infamous Ebola virus. This
invisible nature frightened Quammen and he understood the gravity of such a relationship to
humans. During this time Quammen further established his credibility as a writer in a revision of
Charles Darwins famous On the Origin of Species. Quammens work is heavily influenced by
Darwinism and social ecology. He drew interests in how humans relate to the nature around us as
part of nature, not just simply observing above it.
Now working as an active writer for National Geographic Quammen does three pieces
for them a year. In the time between, he diverts his attention to his new found interest: zoonosis,
a fancy word for the spread of infection from animals to humans. Quammen has found a new
purpose: inform the world about these invisible threats and how through understanding them,
might better prepare us to prevent the spread of future disease. His last two books, The Chimp in
the River, Ebola confront the dangers of zoonosis head on in order to raise awareness.
Quammen definitely owes a great deal of his success to his iron willed work ethic. In an
article on theopennotebook.com Quammen goes through his daily routine. He claims he gets the
most productive hours of work done after breakfast. Quammen further elaborates how coffee, his
dogs, and exercise are necessary activities to keep his creative juices going. His drafts are
heavily revised time and time again, while he effectively works within the confines of his own

home, on his own time. His work-days end anywhere between 4 or 5 oclock, depending on his
mood or the season. He views walking his dogs or going on a bike rides during his breaks, as a
form of meditation.
Quammen published an article for National Geographic in 2004 about the theory of
evolution based on Darwins observations. Titled Was Darwin Wrong? he did anything but
refute such scientific observations. Instead, the aim of the article is to illuminate the context of
the word theory. Quammen discussed the nature of scientific exploration, and how it is
constantly being revised and edited as new discoveries are made, his writings themselves have
evolved in their own way, from fictitious novels to creative non-fiction and conservationist
writing. He represents the evolution of a writer, now often mistaken as someone with a science
degree David Quammen has fused his writing, career, and passion into his daily life. Darwin may
not have been right about everything, but Quammen continues his works in science writing to
further search for the truth, and continues to do so in ways that engage and inspire his readers.

Sources:
Quammen, David. "David Quammen's Biography." David Quammen's Biography. OoLite Media
Llc, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
"A Day in the Life of David Quammen." The Open Notebook. Ed. Ton. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013.
Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
Quammen, David. "Where Will The Next Pandemic Come From? And How Can We Stop
It?" Popular Science. N.p., 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.

Quammen, David. "Was Darwin Wrong? @ National Geographic Magazine."Was Darwin

Wrong? @ National Geographic Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.