Editor's Note: In this edition of the *Paper Trail*, a 50th anniversary is celebrated by a cohort of individuals representing many who were inspired, intrigued, perplexed, shocked, and thrilled by the work of two pioneers in ecology. In a way, Dan Simberloff and Edward O. Wilson are a replicate of the famous mystery solving duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson of London, as they sought to prove a theory using empirical evidence from a most unlikely and wildly ambitious set of experiments. What they found was no less a mystery solved than a set of founding principles related to island biogeography and dynamic equilibrium that are still referred to and tested today. Their followers come from all regions and stages, whether graduate student, post doc, assistant or full professor. Their stories emanate from the deeply profound affect that the work by Dan and Ed had on their thinking, philosophy, and research. This special issue is a tribute to ecological discovery and an example of one of the most extensive connections ever made across generations through scholarly writings.
http://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/issue/10.1002/bes2.2017.98.issue-4/ Steve
