Having originally studied law at Toulouse, Werber turned to journalism, and particularly scientific journalism. In 1983 he won a journalistic competition with a proposal for a report on African ants. As a result, he went to the Ivory Coast to study the terrible 'magnan' ants. Despite being the victim of a nearly fatal attack by the ants, he returned home with an obsession: to tell their story and draw people into the complex and strange world of anthills. Living in Paris, he currently works at the Parisian weekly VSD.