Brief biography of Cuvier
For reading 8 minutes Views 48 published his contribution to comparative anatomy and paleontology had a huge impact on the development of science. In this article, we will consider the biography, personal life and scientific achievements of Georges Cuvier, and also imagine photographs that allow you to get to know this outstanding scientist closer.
The biography of Cuvier Georges Cuvier was born on August 23 in the city of Mempelgard, which was then in Germany. He grew up and was brought up in a poor Protestant family. His father was a military man, while his mother dedicated her life to her son. He had brother Frederick, who became a famous zoologist. Expert opinion: Georges Cuvier, French naturalist and paleontologist, had a significant impact on the development of the science of animals and their fossil remains.
Experts note that its work in comparative anatomy and classification of animals has become an important stage in the development of biology. Cuvier also made a significant contribution to the study and understanding of fossil species, having developed methods for analyzing and classifying fossil remains. His scientific works and work methods continue to be relevant and in demand in modern paleontology and biology.
Georges Leopold Cuvier is the creator of paleontology and the successor of the Robert Guk’s work and youth from the early years of the biography of Georges was in curiosity, as a result of which he learned to read well at 4 years. At the same time, he was fond of drawing, which he studied with his mother. The boy was not in good health, so he was often sick. In the gymnasium, Cuvier received high marks in all subjects, but had problems with discipline.
At first it was planned that here he would prepare for the rank of pastor, but complex relations with the director did not allow him to achieve this goal. Later, Georges successfully passed exams for the department of cameral sciences in the Higher School of Karl in Stuttgart. Within the walls of this institution, he managed to deeply study natural science, to which he manifested a keen interest in childhood.
At this time, Cuvier's biography was so carried away by the animal world that he became one of the founders of the Academy circle. Members of this community shared their own observations among themselves and discussed the latest scientific discoveries. Interesting facts of Georges Cuvier are considered the father of paleontology. It was he who laid the foundations of comparative anatomy and paleontology as scientific disciplines.
His studies allowed him to conclude that the extinct animals were significantly different from the modern ones, and that the Earth experienced many cataclysms that led to the disappearance of entire species. Cuvier was one of the first scientists who suggested that the earth was not static, but is constantly changing. He believed that the Earth experienced a series of disasters that led to the disappearance of many species, and that after each catastrophe there was a restoration of life.
This theory was called catastrophism and for a long time was dominant in science. Georges Cuvier was a member of many scientific societies, including the Paris Academy of Sciences and the London Royal Society. He was also a professor at the Museum of Natural History in Paris and taught in the Sorbonne. His works had a great influence on the development of biology and paleontology and are still used as training manuals.
Simple stories. The estate of the count was located on the sea coast, which allowed the young scientist to study marine animals. Cuvier was impressed by how difficult the simplest organisms were arranged. As a result, he gathered enough scientific observations for the publication of the article in the journal Zoological Bulletin. In those years, paleontology was only at the initial stages of its formation.
Georges Cuvier, as the founder of this science, made a significant contribution to its development. The first success came to him after studying the remains of an unknown creature discovered in Maastricht. Various assumptions were put forward, to whom the remains belonged, but no one could present reliable facts. After conducting a thorough analysis of the bones, Cuvier suggested that they belong to a very ancient reptile.
He reinforced his beliefs with many significant arguments - the creature was called the callus. This was his first major discovery. See also: Jolie photo Illustration from the “Research of the fossil bones of the four -legged” Georges Kuvier, having completed a meticulous analysis of the remains, the scientist laid the foundation for a new science - paleontology. In subsequent years, he often made lectures and published scientific works.
Georges met many prominent scientists-testers who offered him work in Paris. In the city of Cuvier, they entrusted the place of the professor at the Central School of Pantheon, and the next year he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences. He gained great fame in the field of comparative anatomy. The guy not only studied the buildings of various animals, but also put forward many interesting theories.
In particular, Georges developed the law of the correlation of organs, which was based on the following statement: a change in one of the organs entails a number of changes in others.Then he presented the concept of types and improved the classification of the animal kingdom. Working with animals and exploring their structure, Cuvier divided all representatives of the fauna into 4 types: vertebrates, radiant, soft -bodied and arthropods.
His first studies regarding zoology were devoted to entomology, after which he became the author of many works on comparative anatomy of different animals. At the summer, Georges Cuvier headed the department of comparative anatomy of the plant garden. He conducted a lot of valuable studies over fossil vertebrates, during which he successfully involved the principles of comparative anatomy.
Cuvier presented his method of studying the study of the remains: on the basis of the skeleton of the animal and understanding that all parts of the body are interconnected, he could assume what kind of appearance this or that creature had. Further work in the field of paleontology led to the discovery of a large number of new creatures. Georges Cuvier was a supporter of the constancy of the species and the main opponent of supporters of the theory of evolution, which he prevailed in a public scientific discussion.
Continuing to study the animal world, he presented his famous theory of disasters. This theory says that each geological period had its own fauna and flora and ended with a large coup, a disaster in which all living things died and new ones came to the place of old species. When asked how these creatures appeared, there was no clear answer. See also: what is a culture possible, such ideas of a natural scientist appeared due to the fact that scientists did not find any transition forms between individual animal species.
For example, according to the theory of evolution, any creature developed from another, more primitive creature: speaking conditionally a turtle appeared from the frog. But in this case, scientists had to find a lot of the remains of creatures, reminiscent of something similar between the frog and the turtle. However, no one could detect such a find, and, therefore, there was no reason for the phased evolutionary development of organisms.
Despite the fact that Cuvier was often mistaken in his ideas, he made a significant contribution to the development of comparative anatomy and paleontology, becoming the founder of these sciences. For his achievements, he was awarded the title of Peer of France and became a member of the French Academy.