Sir Gavin Rylands de Beer
(1 November 1899 – 21 June 1972) was a British
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
ary
embryologist, known for his work on
heterochrony
In evolutionary developmental biology, heterochrony is any genetically controlled difference in the timing, rate, or duration of a developmental process in an organism compared to its ancestors or other organisms. This leads to changes in the ...
as recorded in his 1930 book ''Embryos and Ancestors''. He was director of the
Natural History Museum, London
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...
, president of the
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
, and a winner of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
's
Darwin Medal
The Darwin Medal is one of the medals awarded by the Royal Society for "distinction in evolution, biological diversity and developmental, population and organismal biology".
In 1885, International Darwin Memorial Fund was transferred to the ...
for his studies on evolution.
Biography
Born on 1 November 1899 in
Malden,
Surrey (now part of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
), de Beer spent most of his childhood in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, where he was educated at the
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
ian École Pascal. During this time, he also visited
Switzerland, a country with which he remained fascinated for the rest of his life. His education continued at
Harrow and
Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated with a degree in
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
in 1921, after a pause to serve in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
and the
Army Education Corps. In 1923 he was made a fellow of
Merton College, Oxford,
and began to teach at the university's zoology department. In 1938, he was made
reader
A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to:
Computing and technology
* Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader
* Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application
* A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...
in embryology at
University College, London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
De Beer again served with the
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
reaching the rank of temporary
lieutenant colonel. He worked in
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...
,
propaganda and
psychological warfare
Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...
. Also during the war, in 1940, he was elected as a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...
.
In 1945, de Beer became
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
of zoology and was, from 1946 to 1949, president of the
Linnean Society
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
. Then he was director of the British Museum (Natural History) (now 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. ...
), from 1950 until his retirement in 1960. He was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed in 1954, and awarded the
Darwin Medal
The Darwin Medal is one of the medals awarded by the Royal Society for "distinction in evolution, biological diversity and developmental, population and organismal biology".
In 1885, International Darwin Memorial Fund was transferred to the ...
of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
in 1957.
In 1958 he delivered the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
's
Master-Mind Lecture, on Charles Darwin. In 1961 he gave the
Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
's
Wilkins Lecture.
After his retirement, de Beer moved to Switzerland and worked on several publications on
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
, including first publication of Darwin's manuscripts including his private notebooks, opening them to scholarship which became the "
Darwin Industry
The Darwin Industry refers to historical scholarship about, and the large community of historians of science working on, Charles Darwin's life, work, and influence. The term "has a slightly derogatory connotation, as if the scale of the research ...
". He also wrote his own seminal ''Atlas of Evolution'' and a series of books about Switzerland and the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
. De Beer returned to England in 1971 and died at
Alfriston
Alfriston is a village and civil parish in the East Sussex district of Wealden, England. The village lies in the valley of the River Cuckmere, about four miles (6 km) north-east of Seaford and south of the main A27 trunk road and part ...
,
Sussex on 21 June 1972.
Work
De Beer's early work at Oxford was influenced by
J. B. S. Haldane
John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (; 5 November 18921 December 1964), nicknamed "Jack" or "JBS", was a British-Indian scientist who worked in physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and mathematics. With innovative use of statistics in biolog ...
and by
Julian Huxley and
E. S. Goodrich (two of his teachers). His early work was in experimental
embryology
Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos ...
; some of it was done in collaboration with Huxley, who would go on to be one of the leading figures of the
modern synthesis
Modern synthesis or modern evolutionary synthesis refers to several perspectives on evolutionary biology, namely:
* Modern synthesis (20th century), the term coined by Julian Huxley in 1942 to denote the synthesis between Mendelian genetics and s ...
. The ''Elements of experimental embryology'', written with Huxley, was the best summary of the field at that time (1934).
In ''Embryos and Ancestors'' (1930) de Beer stressed the importance of
heterochrony
In evolutionary developmental biology, heterochrony is any genetically controlled difference in the timing, rate, or duration of a developmental process in an organism compared to its ancestors or other organisms. This leads to changes in the ...
,
and especially
paedomorphosis
Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the physiological, or somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny is found in modern humans compare ...
in evolution. According to his theories, paedomorphosis (the retention of juvenile features in the adult form) is more important in evolution than gerontomorphosis, since juvenile tissues are relatively undifferentiated and capable of further evolution, whereas highly specialised tissues are less able to change. He also conceived the idea of ''clandestine evolution'', which helped to explain the sudden changes in the
fossil record
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
which were apparently at odds with Darwin's
gradualist
Gradualism, from the Latin ''gradus'' ("step"), is a hypothesis, a theory or a tenet assuming that change comes about gradually or that variation is gradual in nature and happens over time as opposed to in large steps. Uniformitarianism, incrementa ...
theory of evolution. If a novelty were to evolve gradually in an animal's juvenile form, then its development would not appear in the fossil record at all, but if the species were then to undergo
neoteny
Neoteny (), also called juvenilization,Montagu, A. (1989). Growing Young. Bergin & Garvey: CT. is the delaying or slowing of the physiological, or somatic, development of an organism, typically an animal. Neoteny is found in modern humans compa ...
(a form of paedomorphosis in which
sexual maturity
Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definit ...
is reached while in an otherwise juvenile form), then the feature would appear suddenly in the fossil record, despite having evolved gradually.
De Beer worked on
paleornithology Paleornithology, also known as avian paleontology, is the scientific study of bird evolution and fossil birds. It is a hybrid of ornithology and paleontology. Paleornithology began with the discovery of ''Archaeopteryx''. The reptilian relationship ...
and general evolutionary theory, and was largely responsible for elucidating the concept of
mosaic evolution
Mosaic evolution (or modular evolution) is the concept, mainly from palaeontology, that evolutionary change takes place in some body parts or systems without simultaneous changes in other parts. Another definition is the "evolution of characters ...
, as illustrated by his review of ''
Archaeopteryx'' in 1954. De Beer's also reviewed
Haeckel
Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new sp ...
's concept of heterochrony, with particular emphasis on its role in avian evolution, especially that of the
ratites, in 1956. Dedicated to the
popularisation of science, he received the
Kalinga Prize
The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga ...
from
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
De Beer was the first to propose the
Col de la Traversette
The Col de la Traversette (Italian: Colle delle Traversette) is a bridle pass with an altitude of 2,947 m in the Cottian Alps. Located between Crissolo and Abriès, it lies on the border between Italy and France and separates the Monviso (3,841 m) ...
as the likely site where
Hannibal had crossed the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
with his elephants.
[ His thesis received support in 2016 when Mahaney et al. reported that sediments had been identified at the pass that had been churned up by "the constant movement of thousands of animals and humans" and dated them to the time of Hannibal's invasion.]
De Beer and the modern synthesis
The conventional view had been that developmental biology had little influence on the modern synthesis
Modern synthesis or modern evolutionary synthesis refers to several perspectives on evolutionary biology, namely:
* Modern synthesis (20th century), the term coined by Julian Huxley in 1942 to denote the synthesis between Mendelian genetics and s ...
, but the following assessment suggests otherwise, at least as far as de Beer is concerned:
Works
''Comparative, Embryology And Evolution Of Chordate Animals''
(1922)
*''Growth'' – 1924
*''An introduction to experimental embryology'' – 1926
*''The comparative anatomy, histology and development of the pituitary body'' – 1926
''Vertebrate Zoology''
– 1928
*''Early travellers in the Alps'' – 1930
*''Embryology and evolution'' – 1930 (later editions bore the title ''Embryos and ancestors'')
*''Alps and men''. London, 1932
''The Elements of Experimental Embryology''
– 1934 (co-written with Julian Huxley)
*''The development of the vertebrate skull'' – 1937
*Gavin de Beer (editor:) ''Evolution: Essays on aspects of evolutionary biology''. Oxford 1938.
*''Escape to Switzerland'' – 1945
*''Sir Hans Sloane and the British Museum'' - 1953
*''Archaeopteryx lithographica'' – 1954
*''Alps and elephants. Hannibal's march'' – 1955
*''The first ascent of Mont Blanc'' – 1957
*''Darwin's journal: Darwin's notebooks on the transmutation of species'' – 1959
*''The sciences were never at war'' – 1960
*''Reflections of a Darwinian'' – 1962
*''Charles Darwin: evolution by natural selection'' – 1963
''Atlas of Evolution''
– 1964
*''Charles Scott Sherrington: an appreciation'' – 1966
*''Early travellers in the Alps'' – 1967
*''Edward Gibbon and his world'' – 1968
*''Hannibal: Challenging Rome's Supremacy'' – 1969
*''Homology, an unsolved problem'' – 1971
*''Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his world'' – 1972
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Beer, Gavin
1899 births
1972 deaths
British evolutionary biologists
Charles Darwin biographers
Developmental biologists
20th-century British zoologists
Directors of the Natural History Museum, London
Fellows of the Royal Society
People educated at Harrow School
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Academics of University College London
Presidents of the Linnean Society of London
Knights Bachelor
Kalinga Prize recipients
British science writers
Grenadier Guards officers
British Army personnel of World War I
British Army personnel of World War II
Fellows of Merton College, Oxford
Modern synthesis (20th century)
People from New Malden