To my wife, Monica, I cannot possibly express the depths of my gratitude. She welcomed Linnaeus, Leeuwenhoek, and all the rest into our house during the writing of this book and needless to say they weren’t always polite. My daughter Lula reminds me that the joy of discovery is universal, at least when young, and can be just as sublime when discovering a forgotten Cheerio in the couch as when finding a new domain of life.
Any successes in this book are due in large part to my parents who tolerated, happily, the rooms full of aquariums, buckets, nets, and experiments that surrounded my childhood.
I am also grateful to the following friends and colleagues for reading parts or in some cases the entire manuscript, and for providing help, new directions, and insight: Michael Gavin, Lorraine Olendzenski, Scott Powell, Dave Lubertazzi, Karen Ober, Andy Czaja, Jim Brown, Pajaro Morales, Robert K. Colwell, Conrad Hilberry, William Kimler, Michael Wiegman, Jen Martin, Amy Grunden, David Raoult, and Michael Cobb.
I am especially grateful to the discoverers themselves, many of whom took the time to talk to me and humored my silly questions about their moments of discovery, their personal lives, and other nice and not-so-nice things. These included Carl Wirsen, Lynn Margulis, Rachel Haymon, Dan Janzen, Terry Erwin, Peter Raven, George E. Ball, and Andreas Teske. The Smithsonian Archives allowed me to review Terry Erwin’s archived letters and repeatedly went beyond the call of duty. I am grateful to the people of Mision Cavinas, to Doña Rosa, and to PROMAB who helped us during our time in Riberalta.
I am also thankful for all the happenstance events that led me to meet the characters in this book, whether in person, over the phone, or just through their writings. I would not have taken a creative writing class in high school, except that it seemed easier than taking typing. I would not have begun taking more writing classes in college, except that the woman I was courting (and subsequently married) did. I would have not have continued writing in graduate school, except that my advisor gave me room to do so and didn’t blink when what came out of the lab printer were essays instead of my thesis.
I am indebted to Victoria Pryor for everything she has done for me and for this book, and to T. J. Kelleher, Elisabeth Dyssegaard, and Kathryn Antony for their careful and perceptive edits and insights.