fontosaurus

You probably knew Steven Jay Gould from his multiple appearances on The Simpsons, but the man, a paleontologist, author, and Harvard professor, passed away today after a protracted battle with abdominal cancer, and the world is a poorer place because of it. The man was easily on the same level, if not a rung or two higher than Carl Sagan -- he was the consummate scientist, and at the same time was able to speak to the masses in terms they could understand and digest. The world needs more scientists like him.

It never ceases to amaze me, but a country like America (my home), where calling someone a "rocket scientist" is a gross personal insult, can still crank out a few scientific gems like Mr. Gould. I'm glad he stayed alive long enough to see his magnum opus, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory published. (1464 pages, Harvard University Press. It took him 20 years to piece together, and it totally reformulates Darwin's theory of evolution. Science will remember him for centuries.)

Do yourself a favor: go over to Amazon.com and buy yourself The Mismeasure of Man and one of his other books. They're easy to read, and you'll look at the world in a whole new way.

I'm sure wherever Mr. Gould is now, he's explaining something to someone. Personally, I wish I could have met him and thanked him for the insights he gave me in his writing.

Rest in peace, Steven.

(You may also want to read this one -- it says it better than I ever could have.)