Born in Rouen in 1902, an authority on deserts, mainly the
        Sahara, he became what he called a "saddened humanist". Increasingly
        he was involved in causes ranging from the environment and was a
        pioneer of ecological militance, to pacifism and the fight against
        homelessness. He tirelessly travelled the globe and championed
        pacifist causes.
             After his death, the French President Jacques Chirac paid tribute
        to Dr. Monod as "a pioneer and a sage, one of those handful of men who
        direct our gaze and our thought and love."
 

Source: Leo van de Pas