1904

German-American Evolutionary Biologist

Ernst Mayr was one of the scientists who helped develop the so-called "modern synthesis" of evolutionary theory, combining evolution, genetics, and speciation. He also developed and promoted the widely accepted biological concept of species, which also provided an explanation of how new species evolve.

Mayr was born in Kempten, Germany, on July 5, 1904. The son of a judge, he had a comprehensive early education and took a particular interest in birds. In college, he first studied medicine at the University of Greifswald in Berlin from 1923-26, but became more and more intrigued by zoology, particularly after he met noted ornithologist Erwin Stresemann. Mayr's meeting with Stresemann was prompted by Mayr's 1923 sighting of a bird that had not been seen in Europe for decades. With encouragement from Stresemann, Mayr transferred to the zoology program at the University of Berlin, and earned his doctorate in the...