Sergio Archangelsky (27 March 1931 – 10 July 2022) was an Argentine

paleobotanist Paleobotany, which is also spelled as palaeobotany, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeogr ...

and

palynologist Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and '' -logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposit ...

. He was a pioneer of modern paleobotany in Argentina, as well as of cuticular morphology and ultrastructure. He was also a corresponding member of the Argentine Academy of Science.

Biography

Sergio Archangelsky was born on 27 March 1931. He obtained his master's degree in geology (1954) and his doctorate (1957) at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...

. While preparing for his doctorate, he started working in Tucumán (1955–61), at the Lillo Foundation, where he later will become Professor of Paleontology and geology. Thanks to a fellowship from the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

, he was able to visit Britain, where he spent time working at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, and the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

in London, where he interacted and collaborated with

Thomas Harris William Thomas Harris III (born 1940/1941) is an American writer, best known for a series of suspense novels about his most famous character, Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, the most notab ...

. In 1961 he became a member of the CONICET and was Professor of Paleobotany at the

Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

. He organized and directed the Paleobotany and Palynology Unit of CIRGEO- CONICET (1975–83). He was distinguished visiting professor at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

(US, 1984) and upon his return, he worked at the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences. Archangelsky died on 10 July 2022, at the age of 91.

Works and recognition

Archangelsky authored more than 200 scientific articles, reaching over 7000 citations. He has been the first to apply ultrathin sectioning and

Transmission Electron Microscopy Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a microscopy technique in which a beam of electrons is transmitted through a specimen to form an image. The specimen is most often an ultrathin section less than 100 nm thick or a suspension on a g ...

to fossil cuticles. Archangelsky also described some of the most diverse fossil flora from the Early Cretaceous of the southern Hemisphere from what is now known as the Baqueró Group. Among the fossils he described are the oldest angiosperms from southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. Archangelsky described numerous new genera of fossil plants, such as '' Mesodescolea'', ''

Mesosingeria ''Mesosingeria'' is a genus of fossil foliage attributable to the Cycadales. This genus is found in Early Cretaceous rocks from Argentina. Taxonomy The genus was erected by Sergio Archangelsky based on material from the Anfiteratro de Ticó ...

'', '' Ruflorinia'', '' Ticoa'', as well as a new family of fossil conifers (Ferugliocladaceae). The genus ''Archangelskya'' Herbst. has been named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Archangelsky, Sergio 1931 births 2022 deaths Argentine paleontologists Paleobotanists