Mae-Wan Ho
| Mae-Wan Ho | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 12 November 1941 |
| Died | 24 March 2016 |
| Nationality | Chinese, British |
| Education | B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (1964)
Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1967) University of Hong Kong |
| Occupation | Researcher |
| Known for | |
| Notable works | The Rainbow and the Worm, the Physics of Organisms (1993)
Living Rainbow H2O (2012) |
| Website | https://www.i-sis.org.uk/Mae-WanHo.php |
Early life
Mae-Wan Ho was born on November 12, 1941, in Hong Kong to a middle-class family. Growing up on Hong Kong Island during the post-war era, she developed a love for nature, often climbing trees and exploring the outdoors. Fluent in multiple languages from a young age, she showed early academic promise at a convent school, and this blend of curiosity and independence shaped her lifelong quest for deeper truths about life, influenced by a rejection of rigid dogma. The turbulent socio-political climate of colonial Hong Kong, including exposure to Western science and Eastern philosophy, further fueled her holistic worldview.
Education and career
Ho earned her B.Sc. (First Class Honours) in Biology and Chemistry in 1964 and Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1967 from the University of Hong Kong. She conducted postdoctoral research on inherited glycolipid diseases at the Neurosciences Department, University of California, San Diego (1968–1972), supported by a National Genetics Foundation Fellowship. In 1972, she moved to the UK as a Senior Research Fellow at Queen Elizabeth College, London (1974–1977). She then joined the Open University as Lecturer in Genetics (1976–1985) and Reader in Biology (1985–2000), where she taught and researched for 25 years before retiring over disagreements on GMOs. Post-retirement, she served as Visiting Professor of Biophysics at Catania University, Sicily. In 1999, she co-founded the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) with her husband, physicist Peter Saunders, directing it until her death and editing its quarterly magazine. She advised governments, NGOs, and international agencies on GMOs, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energies, while curating art/science festivals like "Colours of Water" (2013).
Notable/unique
Death
Mae-Wan Ho died of cancer on March 24, 2016, at age 74 in London, UK, after a brave battle with the disease. Her illness led ISIS to announce termination of activities in February 2016. Memorial lectures were held in 2017 to honor her legacy. She is survived by her husband, Peter Saunders, and leaves a profound impact on holistic science and environmental activism.
Published works
- "Beyond Neo-Darwinism: An Introduction to the New Evolutionary Paradigm" (1984)
- "Evolutionary Processes and Metaphors" (1988)
- "The Rainbow and the Worm: The Physics of Organisms" (1993)
- "Genetic Engineering: Dream or Nightmare?" (1997)
- "Living with the Fluid Genome" (2003)
- "Food Futures: Now, Organic, Sustainable, Fossil Fuel Free" (2008)
- "Green Energies: 100% Renewables by 2050" (2009)
- "Living Rainbow H₂O" (2012)
- "Meaning of Life and the Universe: Transforming" (2016)
