Ernst Mayr, one the leading evolutionary biologists of the 20th century and the architect of the
evolutionary (or modern) synthesis of
Mendelian genetics and
Darwinian evolution, died on February 4 at the age of 100. His work led to the development of the biological species concept and his theory of
peripatric speciation is the basis of the theory of
punctuated equilibrium. A mover and shaker in the philosophy of biology, Mayr was a proponent of
macroevolutionary theory--invesigations into how some species survive better than others and how likely or unlikely they are to give rise to other species.
Carol Kaesuk Yoon has written an
obit for the New York Times. Here's
Mayr's Wikipedia entry.
Also check out
Edge.org on Mayr and
Nature.
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