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"What is really fascinating is their endurance"

Evolutionary biologists Rosemary and Peter Grant received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Rosemary and Peter Grant. Photo: Princeton University, Office of Communications, Denise Applewhite

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Ecology and Conservation Biology category goes, in this tenth edition, to evolutionary biologists Rosemary and Peter Grant “for their profound contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms and processes by which evolution occurs in the wild,” in the words of the jury’s citation. This husband-and-wife research team was the first to successfully document how evolution plays out in real time, uncovering mechanisms of utility for developing effective strategies to conserve threatened species.

Julia Fischer, head of the Cognitive Ethology Laboratory at the German Primate Center, was one of the jury members. "What is really fascinating is their endurance and their ability to choose a question and then really keep on working on it and trying to understand the system in ever more detail", Fischer says. "Rosemary and Peter Grant are also inspiring, because they are great communicators."