Jared Diamond is an American scientist, historian, and author, best known for Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), which won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. Trained first in biochemistry and physiology, he writes across anthropology, ecology, geography and evolutionary biology, and his other books include Collapse, Upheaval, The Third Chimpanzee and Last Tree on Easter Island. He taught geography at UCLA until he retired in 2024. His work has also drawn sharp criticism from historians and anthropologists who question its factual and logical claims.
