The evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr died on 3 February at the age of 100, after a short illness. A hugely prolific writer and researcher, he was instrumental in developing modern ideas in evolutionary theory.
As an ornithologist, Mayr classified many birds, most notably risking the hostile terrain of New Guinea to catalogue the region's birds of paradise. But he will arguably be best remembered for formulating the concept of species that students still use today.
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Walter Bock, a student of Mayr's in the 1950s and now an evolutionary biologist at Columbia University in New York, places Mayr's work on a par with two other great biologists, Theodosius Dobzhansky and George Gaylord Simpson. The three were, he says, architects of the 'evolutionary synthesis', the reconciliation of evolutionary theories with the processes of genetic inheritance.
That link is for subscribers only. MSNBC has a report here as well.
Mayr was somewhat overshadowed -- well, let's admit it: really overshadowed -- by SJ Gould as the "leading" evolutionary theorist of modern times, at least in popular culture, and was also less well-known than either EO Wilson or Dawkins. This may be in large part because he never really waded into the whole Creationism controversy, publicly at least. He certainly deserves a bigger role in popular conceptions about current thought and the recent history of evolutionary theory and biology in general.
Stephanjaygould.org has an interview with him on their web site. Also, we suggest The Growth of Biological Thought if anyone is interested in reading some of his work.
[UPDATE]: More here from the Harvard Gazette. NYTimes obit here.
Biblical archaeology update Three debates fuel ongoing interest in ancient material linked to the Bible
An ancient fortress, a burial box and a piece of cloth - historical remains related to the Bible never cease to provoke heated debate, whether the discoveries are thought to be tantalizing clues, cynical hoaxes or just archaeological mistakes.
Right now, for instance, three highly technical disputes have erupted over materials linked to Scripture. . .
Just a summary article on three of the most recent dustups. Really doesn't say much.
Geoarchaeology in Egypt Mummy tar in ancient Egypt
For millennia, ancient Egyptians used oil tar to preserve bodies. New geologic research shows that the tar came from several sources, shedding light on how trade routes of old compare to those of today.
All tar sands — crude oils, asphalts and bitumen — contain source-specific compounds, known as biomarkers, which have unique chemical signatures that are closely related to the biological precursors of the oil. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometers, geologists can identify these biomarkers in the oil to create a very specific “fingerprint” that enables them to trace the location where the oil originated. This fingerprinting is frequently used to trace oil spills to a ship or other point of origin (see Geotimes, January 2005).
Ancient cosmetics: Update Maximus Factor aka Ancient Avon
A Roman-era container of white cosmetic cream, found during an archaeological dig in London, offers a glimpse at vanity 2,000 years ago, when a pale, even complexion apparently was the rage.
Richard Evershed, a chemist at the University of Bristol, analyzed the cream’s ingredients and recreated the ancient recipe, which consisted mainly of rendered animal fat and starch that was probably obtained from boiling grains. “It shows a surprising degree of technological sophistication,” he says, noting that the color came from a white tin oxide which was almost certainly synthetic.
Artist's conception of what a ROman-era Briton may have looked like:
Update on US 101 Lewis and Clark-related road project delayed after artifacts found
State rerouting of U.S. 101 near the mouth of the Columbia River has been delayed by discovery at the site of Indian artifacts and trade goods, including stone tools, arrowheads and glass beads.
Work to realign a highway segment across the river from Astoria, Ore., had been scheduled to start Monday. The project is to create room for a 9-acre waterfront park commemorating Station Camp, the westernmost point reached by the Lewis and Clark expedition 200 years ago.
The site is where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's Corps of Discovery finally had full view of the Pacific Ocean in November 1805. The explorers knew they had reached the end of their 18-month journey.
City dig reveals 'world-class' finds
The quality of the latest finds in a major archaeological investigation at Winchester has prompted a councillor to call for the city to be designated a World Heritage Site.
Anne Saunders, who visited the excavations at Staple Gardens with colleagues, says she was told the site had "world-class value."
The 1,000sqft excavation, currently believed to be the biggest dig in the country, is being carried out by 30 experts from Oxford Archaeology and it has uncovered Iron Age, Roman and Saxon remains.
Fight! Fight! The illicit trade: US considers Chinese request for import restrictions
The US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) is meeting in closed session on 17 and 18 February to consider a request from the People’s Republic of China that the US restrict import of all Chinese cultural materials predating 1912. The request, made last September under the 1970 Unesco Convention, seeks assistance in protecting Chinese cultural heritage, which China says is increasingly subject to pillage and smuggling. It has elicited objections from both the US market and scholars, and faces an uphill battle to gain approval.
The CPAC will also hold an open session to receive comments from the public. Dealers, auctioneers and museum officials are expected to testify. CPAC chairman Jay Kislak told The Art Newspaper that a second meeting will take place before a decision is reached.
CSU, museum to study mounds
From more than 40 feet atop Mound A at the Singer-Moye Mounds south of Lumpkin, Ga., visitors can look down on a plaza area that must have been full of activity more than 600 years ago when Native Americans had a town here close to Pataula Creek. Several smaller mounds built for earth lodges or ceremonial purposes are clearly visible from the lofty point.
Warren Church, associate professor of anthropology and archaeology at Columbus State University, and CSU archaeology students Jim Trostle and June Williams appeared excited as they joined Columbus Museum officials at the mound site last Tuesday, to check out the condition of the mounds and discuss possible plans.
Looting someplace other than Iraq Africa robbed of treasures
The recent seizure of a huge collection of stolen west African art is a bright spot in the sad story of antiquities protection on the world's poorest continent, which has robbed Africans of chapters of their history.
French customs agents searching for drugs intercepted a shipment from the desert state of Niger bound for Belgium in early January.
The 845-piece collection, dating as far back as 70 million years ago, includes antiquities of incalculable value, ranging from dinosaur teeth to neolithic arrowheads and ancient pottery.
While this seizure is notable for the size and breadth of the artefacts contained within the collection, such caches of treasures smuggled out of the continent and into private collections or curio shops around the world are neither rare nor exclusive to Niger.