Science and sensibility

Science and sensibility

Friday, November 11, 2005

Another great kiwi and my new job

While I'm talking about famous New Zealand Scientists I should note one that didn't make it into the top hundred kiwis (though he'd be in mine) - Alan Wilson. Wilson was an Otago trained evolutionary biologist that controversially applied new molecular techniques to studying the evolution of man. He was controversial because before his work most anthropologists had humans pegged as a long distant relative of the apes, presuming our lineage split from theirs shortly after the whole ape group parted ways with the lineage that spawned modern old-world monkeys about 20 million years ago. Wilson suggested we arose from deep within the African Ape clade within the last 5 million years. This was a heresy not just because close cousinship to apes was an affront to human pride1 but because it threatened the claims of some ancient 'protohuman' fossils. It's just a lot more sexy to claim you fossil is one of our ancestors than a primitive orang-utan.

Of course this is a scientific matter and in the end the truth won out. Wilson's findings are now the orthodoxy supported by mitochondrial DNA and now whole genome comparisons. Wilson was also instrumental in providing molecular evidence for the Out of Africa model for the evolution of modern humans. This model suggests modern Homo sapiens originated once in Africa 200 000 years ago and subsequently replaced all other human populations. Wilson died in 1991 of leukaemia - he was only 55. When the New Zealand government set up a 'Centre for Research Excellence' in molecular ecology and evolution it was called The Alan Wilson Centre.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, starting from next week I am working for The Alan Wilson Centre in Palmerston North. I managed to get a position working on the phylogeography of some New Zealand animals this summer. I'm not sure exactly how internet connectivity and time are going to work out while I'm travelling then working. I'm also going to spend some time in the field and at a conference. This might add up to reduce the already glacial posting rate here but I ought to at least get some interesting insights that will eventually make it to these pages.

1I fail to understand how this is so demeaning. Have you ever seen a gibbon's aerial acrobatics? That's an animal I'm proud to call cousin
Posted by David Winter 4:50 pm

4 Comments:

Excellent post. I was reading an article in PNAS on the evolutionary relationship between hippopotomai and cetaceans and immediately thought of Wilson. Apparently there is some conflict between paleontological and molecular studies there as well. Wilson started something that had a massive impact far beyond the confines of the original paper. Certainly an accomplishment to be proud of. Congrats on the new job!
Blogger afarensis, FCD, at 1:57 pm, November 12, 2005  
Afarensis:

Thanks or the compliment and the feedback on Wilson. It's good to confirm his fame does indeed extend beyond the Otago genetics course!

Xavier:

I'm working on that most exciting animal the springtail I was going to call them insects but I knew that some pedant somewhere would chime in with the fact that although they are hexapods the springtails are actually part of the class Entognatha - the sister taxon to Insecta.
Blogger David Winter, at 2:19 pm, November 16, 2005  
very very good i loved this link

love mummy
Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:59 pm, November 16, 2005  
I discovered your fine site via Pharyngula. Your post on famous Kiwi scientists takes me back to about 1973. I was a visiting Aussie (2 yrs in NZ) at the time. I was then an amateur ornithologist and got involved with some other amateur enthusiasts while living in Wellington. We began collecting Moa fossils from sink holes in the Wairarapa. As complete neophytes we presented oursleves and our bones at the Dominion Museum wanting to speak to someone! A very kind and knowledgeable fellow named Sir Robert Falla was either recently retired or about to retire as Director. He made a number of profound impacts on all of us. First, he had knowledge and was very keen to assist us with it. Second, he gently cautioned us against what we were doing as amateurs - wrecking sites etc. Third, his attitude and gentle way stimulated us as individuals to pursue our interests in more formal ways. I returned to Oz and became a zoologist and later, a medical anthropologist. I trace my career trajectory to Sir Robert Falla - in my mind, a great Kiwi scientist - you only have to read his work on birds of the sub-Antarctic NZ islands to appreciate his quiet greatness
Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:52 pm, November 28, 2005  

Post a Comment