Part One – Formative years

Background. I was born on 14 September 1944, literally hours after Raymond B. Cowles and Charles M. Bogert published their classic monograph on the thermal biology of desert reptiles. Much of my own research has centered on the thermal biology of reptiles and of Drosophila. Three days after I was born, Reinhold Messner was born in the Tyrol. Half a century later, his mountaineering achievements – and especially his ‘alpine-style’ philosophy – inspired my interest in analyzing the success rates and death rates of Himalayan mountaineers. These two synchronicities are, of course, coincidental but are amusing to me.

Part One covers my early years before I became interested in science and biology. Nevertheless, I now realize that some experiences I had then influenced my eventual career choice and direction