Paleobiology, Evolutionary Theory, and Geopolitics

David Weishampel教授与罗马尼亚Deva的脊椎动物化石馆长Coralia Maria Jianu博士合作，正在调查古生物学起源的重要问题，以及在研究中地位和资金的作用。理解一个科学领域的不同研究方法是如何发展的，以及它们与我国目前公认的科学之间的关系，显然是非常重要的。在这方面，dr。Weishampel和Jianu对Franz Baron Nopcsa的研究有望丰富我们对20世纪古生物学发展的理解。Nopcsa是该领域的先驱。他强调脊椎动物化石的生物学性质，利用骨组织学来了解已灭绝脊椎动物的生理学，新拉马克进化论的进化机制，以及大陆漂移理论。他还研究了亚得里亚海东部海岸的地质情况。通过将这些不同的线索结合在一起，Nopcsa帮助创造了一种独特的东欧古生物学方法。他的见解以一种有价值的视角呈现了这门科学，值得与亨利·费尔菲尔德·奥斯本开创的美国古生物学的兴起形成对比。除了他的科学研究之外，诺普萨职业生涯的两个方面也引起了人们极大的兴趣。首先，他为自己开创了这个领域。没有人训练他。一个科学家是如何创造一门新学科的？他又是如何吸引追随者的？其次，Nopcsa独立富有，能够以他选择的任何方式进行他的研究。这种独立性是如何影响他提出的问题，而不是他同时代的人受到大学和/或政府、基金会或赞助人支持的约束？PI还将研究这些重要而有趣的问题。因此，这项研究有望增强我们对古生物学兴起的理解，以及赞助人在指导调查领域中的作用。

Professor David Weishampel, in collaboration with Dr. Coralia Maria Jianu, Curator of Fossil Vertebrates in Deva Romania, is investigating important questions on the origins of the science of paleontology and the role of position and funding in the kinds of research one conducts. It is clearly of great importance to understand how differing approaches to a scientific field develop and what relationship they have with currently accepted science in our country. In this respect, Drs. Weishampel and Jianu's study of Franz Baron Nopcsa promises to enrich our understanding of how paleontology has developed in the 20th Century. Nopcsa was a pioneer in the field. He emphasized the biological nature of fossil vertebrates, the use of bone histology to understand the physiology of extinct vertebrates, neo-Lamarkian evolutionary mechanisms, and the theory of continental drift. He also examined the geology of the eastern Adriatic Coast. By bringing together these different strands, Nopcsa helped to create a distinct approach for Eastern European paleontology. His insights present this science in a valuable perspective that is worth contrasting to the rise of American paleontology as created by Henry Fairfield Osborn. Two aspects of Nopcsa's career are of great interest beyond just his science. First, he invented the field for himself. There was no one to train him. How does a scientist go about creating a new discipline and how does he attract followers? Secondly, Nopcsa was independently wealthy and was able to carry out his research in whatever manner he chose to pursue. How did this independence affect the kinds of questions he asked versus those of his contemporaries who were bound by the constraints of university and/or government, foundation or patron support? The PI will also examine these important and fascinating questions. This study thus promises to enhance our understanding of the rise of paleontology and the role patronage in directing a field of investigation.