Ape of the Year

A small monkey sits for his cover portrait, holding a scroll in one hand and what appears to be a minor planet in the other. The galaxy behind his shoulder was added by the art department. The medal is real. He is one of the year — the magazine has tactfully declined to specify of what — and the profile inside, should you ever read it, suggests that his contributions to the field cannot be summarized in fewer than nine pages. He has agreed to the cover on the condition that the interview be conducted slowly and the photographer not use a flash.