Barry Commoner (born 1917) was a biologist who became an environmental activist, leading efforts to inform the general public about the many environmental dangers posed by various scientific advances and common practices. He was one of the founders of the modern environmental movement who was referred to as the "Paul Revere of Ecology."

Barry Commoner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 28, 1917. As a boy he lived the rugged life of the city streets, but on weekends he prowled Brooklyn's Prospect Park looking for microscope specimens. Educated at James Madison High School, which fostered his interest in biology, he put himself through Columbia University by doing odd jobs and got his bachelor's degree with honors in 1937. Earning master's and doctoral degrees at Harvard (1938, 1941), he began his teaching career as a biology instructor at Queens College (1940-1942). Serving in the Navy in World War II, he took part in...