Pioneer Biologist Ernst Mayr Dies

Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr, often called the “Darwin of the 20th century,” died last Thursday at his retirement community in Bedford, Mass. He was 100.

Mayr, who was born in Kempten, Germany, in 1904, was a member of the Harvard faculty for over half a century. He joined the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) as Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology in 1953 after holding a position at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He was also curator of Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology from 1961 to 1970.

Mayr was most renowned for his work in the field of evolutionary biology; he integrated Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Mendel’s theory of heredity to form the neo-Darwinist evolutionary synthesis that is still widely accepted today.

Although Mayr retired from his official professorship in 1975, he retained an active position in the world of science right up to his death last week. He published his 25th book in August last year, just a month after his 100th birthday. He also contributed to over 660 scientific papers in his lifetime.

“He never retired,” Mayr’s daughter Susanne Harrison said. “Technically he may have, but he always had five or six projects on his agenda. He never got to the point where he said ‘That’s enough’ and sat back to enjoy life–for him enjoying life was doing what he did, writing and researching.”

His late colleague at Harvard, Dr. Stephen J. Gould, once described the neo-Darwinist synthesis as “one of the half-dozen major scientific achievements in our century,” according to the New York Times.

Mayr also pioneered the study of the history and philosophy of biology, areas previously neglected by other biologists.

Mayr displayed signs of his future passion at a young age. At age 10, he could correctly identify species of local birds simply by hearing their calls, according to an obituary published in Bloomberg News.

Though he had planned to follow in family tradition and become a doctor after receiving a medicine degree from the University of Greifswald in 1925, a desire to travel led him to abandon medicine, according to a Harvard News Office press release. He then completed a doctorate in Biology at the University of Berlin just 16 months later.

After receiving his doctorate, he embarked on research expeditions through New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, where he was able to prove what Darwin did not—that new species arise from the geographical isolation of populations. This led to his definition of species as “an interbreeding population that cannot breed with other groups,” the press release said.

Scott V. Edwards, a student of Mayr’s and his successor to the Agassiz professorship, remembered his first encounter with his mentor. It was prior to his own overseas research, when Mayr told him to “write, write, write.”

“His dedication to excellence and productivity set a high standard for all biologists,” Edwards said.

Mayr won the Balzan Prize in 1983, the International Prize for Biology in 1994, and the Crafoord Prize in 1999. He donated most of the money from these lucrative awards to Harvard institutions such as the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Nature Conservancy.

“As a professor, museum director, benefactor to our library of comparative zoology, and leading mind of the 20th century, he shaped and articulated modern understanding of biodiversity and related fields,” Dean of the FAS William C. Kirby said in a press release last week. “With sadness, we note his passing; with gratitude, we thank him for his legacy.”

He is survived by two daughters, five grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren.