Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author best known for his popular science books The Third Chimpanzee , Guns, Germs, and Steel , Collapse and The World Until Yesterday . Originally trained in physiology, Diamond's work is known for drawing from a variety of fields, including anthropology, ecology, geography, and evolutionary biology. As of 2013, he is Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been described as "America’s best-known geographer".