Gould, << goold, >> Stephen Jay (1941-2002), was an American scientist and educator. He wrote widely on paleontology, the scientific study of animals, plants, and other organisms that lived in prehistoric times. Gould was best known for his writings on the evolution (development) of life on earth. He questioned the traditional idea that evolution is a gradual and continuous process. He suggested that evolution occurs in rapid, irregular spurts, a process called punctuated equilibrium.
Gould did much to make scientific subjects understandable to nonscientists. He did this largely through essays, including some on such topics as baseball and Mickey Mouse. Many of these essays appeared in his books Ever Since Darwin (1977), The Panda’s Thumb (1980), Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes (1983), The Flamingo’s Smile (1985), Bully for Brontosaurus (1991), Dinosaur in a Haystack (1995), and The Lying Stones of Marrakech (2000). Other books by Gould include The Mismeasure of Man (1981), Wonderful Life (1990), Full House (1996), Rocks of Ages (1999), and The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (2002).
Gould was born in New York City on Sept. 10, 1941. He graduated from Antioch College and earned a Ph.D. degree in paleontology from Columbia University. Gould taught at Harvard University since 1967. He died on May 20, 2002.
See also Evolution .
