Elisabeth Vrba Explained

Elisabeth Vrba
Birth Date:17 May 1942
Nationality:American
Fields:Paleontology
Alma Mater:University of Cape Town
Work Institutions:Yale University

Elisabeth S. Vrba (born May 17, 1942) is a paleontologist at Yale University who developed the turnover-pulse hypothesis.

Education

Vrba earned her Ph.D. in Zoology and Palaeontology at the University of Cape Town, in 1974. Vrba studied zoology and mathematical statistics at the University of Cape Town to earn her undergraduate degree. She remained there for doctoral study in zoology and paleontology to earn her Ph.D. After receiving her doctorate, Vrba conducted her early research on African fossil records over the last several million years, tracking the sequence of fossils from analyzing the geological strata and analyzing the morphology of the fossils.[1] She was the chief assistant to Charles Kimberlin Brain during his directorship of the Transvaal Museum.[2]

Career

She has been a faculty member at the Department of Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, since the early 1980s.[3] She is well known for developing the turnover-pulse hypothesis, as well as coining the word exaptation with colleague Stephen Jay Gould. Her specific interest is in the Family Bovidae (antelopes, etc.), but her students are studying a wide range of species.

Innovations

Vrba and colleague Stephen Jay Gould are renowned for their theory of exaptation. Stemming from Charles Darwin's research on genetic traits developed during adaptation in evolution, Vrba and Gould's research suggested that the historical origin of a genetic trait is not always reflective of its contemporary function. Genetic adaptations may take on new functions and may serve a species a different purpose further on in evolution. Gould died in 2002,[4] but their theory has been widely referenced in recent years in popular science writing.[5] [6] Vrba and Gould's theory has also been criticized in recent years by scholars who assert that genetic traits are pressured by multiple factors, making it challenging to determine when adaptation or exaptation is at play.[7]

Vrba also constructed the turnover-pulse hypothesis, a significant addition to macroevolutionary theory.

Selected publications

Notes and References

  1. Book: International encyclopedia of women scientists. Oakes, Elizabeth H.. 2002. Facts on File. 0816043817. New York. 45835614. registration.
  2. The Songlines, Bruce Chatwin, Picador, 1988, pp. 271-2
  3. Book: Yount. Lisa. A to Z of Women in Science and Math Revised Edition. 2007. Infobase Pub.. New York. 978-1438107950. 305–306. Rev..
  4. Web site: Remembering Stephen Jay Gould Natural History Magazine. www.naturalhistorymag.com. en. 2018-01-08.
  5. News: Surveying the Genomic Landscape of Modern Mammals DNA Science Blog. 2015-01-29. DNA Science Blog. 2018-01-08. en-US. 2018-01-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20180108175106/http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2015/01/29/probing-genomic-landscape-modern-mammals/. dead.
  6. Web site: More Evidence on the Real Nature of Evolutionary DNA Change. Shapiro. James A.. 2012-01-06. Huffington Post. en-US. 2018-01-08.
  7. News: Thank you - International Innovation. Innovation. International. International Innovation. 2018-01-08. en-GB. https://web.archive.org/web/20160825224345/http://www.internationalinnovation.com/evolving-vocabulary-the-rise-and-fall-of-exaptation/. 2016-08-25. dead.

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