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George Gaylord Simpson (June 16, 1902 – October 6, 1984) was an American paleontologist. He was an expert on extinct mammals and their intercontinental migrations. Simpson was the most influential paleontologist of the twentieth century and a major participant in the Modern synthesis, contributing Tempo and Mode in Evolution (1944) and Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals (1945). Among other things, he is notable for anticipating such concepts as punctuated equilibrium (in his 1944 work, see quantum evolution), and dispelling the myth that the evolution of the horse was a linear process culminating in the modern Equus caballus.
He was Professor of zoology at Columbia University and curator of the Department of Geology and Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History from 1945 to 1959. He was curator of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University from 1959 to 1970 and a Professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona until his retirement in 1982.
[edit] Quotes
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Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind.[1] |
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I don't think that evolution is supremely important because it is my specialty; it is my specialty because I think it is supremely important.[2] |
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"The regular absence of transitional forms is not confined to mammals, but is an almost universal phenomenon, as has long been noted by paleontologists."
- Attending Marvels (1931)
- Mammals and Land Bridges (1940)
- Tempo and Mode in Evolution (1944)
- The Meaning of Evolution (1949)
- Horses (1951)
- Evolution and Geography (1953)
- The Major Features of Evolution (1953)
- Life: An Introduction to Biology (1957)
- Principles of Animal Taxonomy (1961)
- This View of Life (1964)
- The Geography of Evolution (1965)
- Penguins (1976)
- Concession to the Improbable (1978)
- Splendid Isolation (1980)
- The Dechronization of Sam Magruder (posthumously published novella, 1996)
[edit] References
- ^ George Gaylord Simpson, The Meaning of Evolution, revised edition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1967), p. 345. [1]
- ^ Larson, Edward J. (2004), Evolution, Modern Library, 250, ISBN 0-679-64288-9
- Aronson, Jay D (2002), “'Molecules and monkeys': George Gaylord Simpson and the challenge of molecular evolution.”, History and philosophy of the life sciences 24 (3-4): 441-65, 2002, PMID:15045833, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15045833>
- Laporte, L F (1994), “Simpson on species.”, Journal of the history of biology 27 (1): 141-59, 1994, PMID:11639257, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11639257>
- Olson, E C (1991), “George Gaylord Simpson: June 16, 1902-October 6, 1984.”, Biographical memoirs. National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) 60: 331-53, 1991, PMID:11616139, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11616139>
- Laporte, L F (1991), “George Gaylord Simpson as mentor and apologist for paleoanthropology.”, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 84 (1): 1-16, 1991 Jan, PMID:2018099, doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330840102, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2018099>
- Whittington, H B (1986), “George Gaylord Simpson: 16 June 1902-6 October 1984.”, Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society. Royal Society (Great Britain) 32: 525-39, 1986, PMID:11621258, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11621258>
- Laporte, L F (1983), “Simpson's Tempo and Mode in Evolution revisited.”, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 127 (6): 365-417, 1983 Dec 30, PMID:11611330, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11611330>
- Gershenowitz, H (1978), “George Gaylord Simpson and Lamarck.”, Indian journal of history of science 13 (1): 56-61, 1978, PMID:11615952, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11615952>
[edit] External links
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