Today’s Geek of the Week is Stephen Jay Gould, a geologist,
paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, science historian, and lover of Gilbert
and Sullivan musicals and baseball.
Gould was born on this day (September 10) in 1941 in Queens,
New York. He loved dinosaurs from an early age, and settled on a career in
paleontology. After earning his undergraduate degree in geology and philosophy
and earning a doctorate in paleontology, he started teaching at Harvard, where
he remained for the rest of his life.
He is best known for positing the theory of punctuated
equilibrium along with Niles Eldredge. This theory maintains that evolution has
long periods of relatively little change, with occasional rapid periods of
branching change. Gould published extensively on his theories of evolutionary
biology, and is one of the most widely-cited authors in the field. Along with
his prolific academic research, Gould had (and still has) many critics. He also
had a long-standing and public disagreement with several prominent scientists
within the field of sociobiology.
In addition to his work in academia and research, Gould had
a passion for bringing scientific ideas to a wider audience. He wrote an
extensive series of essays between 1974 and 2001 in Natural History where he combined complicated scientific principles
with every day examples. He was also passionate about recording and sharing the
history of science. Gould appeared regularly on television to talk about
science and evolution, and even occasionally baseball (he was featured as a
guest in Ken Burn’s Baseball series).
He also joined the ranks of scientific personalities to be turned into a
cartoon character on The Simpsons,
where he voiced his own character.
His contributions to biology and his dedication to making
scientific thought widely accessible to the public makes Gould a fitting Geek
of the Week!
Interested in learning more?
http://www.stephenjaygould.org/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/5/l_035_01.html
Got a geek you'd like us to feature? Nominate them here.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/5/l_035_01.html
Got a geek you'd like us to feature? Nominate them here.
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