Rachel Louise Carson (1907 - 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. She highlighted conservation, especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides, most notably DDT. She brought environmental concerns to a global audience through her writing, inspiring grassroots environmental movements across the planet.