Presentation of the David S. Ingalls, Jr. Award for Excellence to Tim D. White

4 Pages·2001·2.4 MB·English

by  Miriam G Smead

KIRTLANDIA
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
June 2001 Number 52:63-66
PRESENTATION OF THE
DAVID S. INGALLS, JR. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE*
PRESENTATION OF THE AWARD
MIRIAMG.SMEAD
Trustee,TheClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistory
1WadeOvalDrive,UniversityCircle
Cleveland,Ohio44106-1767
TonightTheClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistoryhas Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus afarensis, and
thehonorofpresentingthesixthDavidS.Ingalls,Jr.Award Australopithecusgarhi,ofearlyhominids.Noothersingle
forExcellence.Itisawardedtoanindividualforexcellence individualhasaccomplishedthisfeat.
inresearch,education,orconservationinoneofthefields Dr.White’sAfricanresearchinthefieldofpaleontology
ofnaturalsciencerepresentedbytheMuseum.Ourhonoree beganatLakeTurkanainKenyain 1974.Itthenexpanded
isDr.TimD.White,who, attheageof50,hasbecomea into the famous sites of Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge,
majorfigure in human evolutionary studies. Dr. White is Tanzania.LaterhiseffortscenteredontheMainRiftValley
ouryoungestrecipientofthisprestigiousaward. andAfarregionsofEthiopia.Forthepasttwentyyearshe
His academic training began at the University of has been apaleoanthropology teamleader in the Middle
California, Riverside where he received his Bachelor of AwashResearchareaofEthiopia. Admirably, inhis work
Sciencedegreeinbiologyandanthropology.Justlastyear there,hehastrainedanumberofAfricanPh.D.s.
that university honored him with their Distinguished Duringthequarterofacenturyhehascarriedonfield-
Alumnus ofthe YearAward. He earnedhis master’s and workineasternandsouthernAfricahehasbeenrespon-
doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan in Ann sibleforthediscoveryofdozensofnewfossillocalities.
Arborinthefieldofbiologicalanthropology. Dr. White developed the excavation method used atthe
He is presently a professor in the Department of famous Laetoli footprint locality. He was also largely
Integrative Biology at the University of California, responsible for equipping and organizing the physical
Berkeley. Concurrently, he is the Curatorofthe Physical anthropology laboratory at the National Museum of
AnthropologycollectionattheHearstMuseum. Ethiopia.ItisherethatthefossilbonesofLucyarenow
ProfessorWhite has made enormous contributions to safely preserved, for after five years of scientific study
thefieldofhumanevolution. Heisinternationallyrecog- and the production of casts of the bones here at The
nized as the leading expert on hominidevolution during Cleveland Museum ofNatural History, the fossils were
thePliocene.Hehasbeenpartoftheteamthatdiscovered returnedtotheircountry oforigin. Dr. White was apri-
and named one genus, Ardipithecus, and three species, maryplayerinthestudyofLucy.
*OnMarch9,2001,theDavidS.Ingalls,Jr.AwardforExcellencewaspresentedtoTimD.White.Theremarksprintedhere
areexcerptedfromthosepresentedonthatoccasion.
64 SMEAD No.52
ForovertwentyyearshehasbeenaffiliatedwithThe
Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a Research
Associate in Physical Anthropology. He has done exten-
sivestudyofourworldrenownedHamann-ToddSkeletal
CollectionandworkedwithMuseumstafftodevelopthe
techniquesusedtoreplicatetheEthiopianFossils.In1978
he coauthored a key scientific paper with Dr. Yves
Coppens and Dr. Donald C. Johanson, who was at that
timeourCuratorofPhysicalAnthropology.Thisresearch
paper,introducingtheLucyfossilstotheworld,wasenti-
tled “A new species of the genus Australopithecus
(Primates: Hominidae) from the Pliocene of eastern
Africa.”ItwaspublishedintheMuseum’sscientificpub-
lication,Kirtlandia.
InadditiontohisworkinAfrica,Dr.White’sresearch
hastakenhimworldwide.Hehasstudiedfossilremainsof
hominids andotherfaunain Asia, the MiddleEast, and
Europe. His research has included extensive study of
human and non-human primate skeletal collections at
museums in our country and many countries abroad.
Fundingforhisresearchontheoriginsofmanhascome
fromnumerousgrantsprovidedbyorganizationssuchas
the National Science Foundation, the National Geo-
graphicSociety,andTheL.S.B.LeakeyFoundation.
Dr. White has over 100publications, including three
books,tohiscredit.HisHumanOsteology(2000),isthe
leadingtextbookonthestudyofthehumanskeleton.He
is the world’s authority on cannibalism and wrote the
leading book on thattopic in 1992. He is also a world
authorityonfossilpigevolutionandpublishedthelead-
ingmonographonthatsubjectin 1979.
Isitanywonderthathisworkhasappearedonthecov- TimD.White,March9,2001
ersofthejournalsNatureandScienceseveraltimes?Thisis
surelyindicativeofhisstatureinthescientificcommunity.
Withhisextensiveknowledgeofhumanevolution, he Dr.White,yourinfluenceonthefieldofphysicalanthro-
hasoftenwrittenreviewsofbooksbyothersinhisfield. pologyisimmeasurable.Yourresearchhasbeenoftremen-
Hehaspresentedprofessionalpapersatscientificconfer- dousbenefittotheenlightenmentofhumankindinunder-
enceshereandabroadandhasbeenaninvitedlecturerat standingourgenesisandevolutionaryhistory.Itistrulyan
universities, colleges, museums, and other institutions honor for me, on behalfofthe Board ofTrustees ofThe
worldwide. Also, he has received numerous prestigious ClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistory,topresentthisaward
scientificawards. toyouinrecognitionofsuchexcellenceinyourchosenfield.
2001 65
REPLY
TIMD.WHITE
LaboratoryforHumanEvolutionaryStudies
MuseumofVertebrateZoology,andDepartmentofIntegrativeBiology
TheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley
Berkeley,California 94720
Afewyearsago,theAmericanAcademyofAchieve-ment NobodyknowsthecollectionslikeLyman.Nootherperson
madeafilmaboutscientistsandhowtheyweredrawntosci- has figured so importantly, in so many research efforts in
ence.Featur—edwerethegiantsofphysics,chemistry,molec- physical anthropology, by so many colleagues around the
ularbiology scientistswhosenamesarefamiliartousall. world,asLyman.Itisindeedagreathonorandawarmfeel-
Anditturnsoutthataremarkablenumberoftheseluminar- ingtobeamongsuchfriendsandcolleaguestonight.
ies began their scientific investigations ofthe world with ResearchinAfricashowsthatweweren’talwayshumans.
earlyexperiencesinnaturalhistory. Andwe weren’tEVERchimpanzees. Work like that con-
Naturalhistoryservedthem,andservesustoday,asacrit- ductedbythelargegroupofpeopleIhavementionedisthe
icallyimportantportalthroughwhichyoungpeopleengage onlymeanstoapproachthedeeppastandtoextractclues
andenterscience.Thiswonderfulmuseum,withitsworld- thatcanteachusaboutit.TonightIspeakforallthesecol-
class research, its superb collections, and its cutting-edge leaguesontheMiddle Awashresearchproject,colleagues
educationalprograms, iscontributingenormouslytoOhio, who study everything from the interpretation of satellite
thenation,andtheworld.Theworldofsciencewillc—ontin- imagerytothebiomechanicalanalysisoftherecoveredfos-
uetooweagreatdebttoinstitutionssuchasthisone cru- sils,fromtheisotopicstudiesoftherockandsoilsamplesto
ciblesthathelpfosterthedevelopmentofgoodscience. theshapesandsizesoflizardsandbirdsandbatsandsnails,
Therewillalwaysbeaplaceforgreatmuseumsofnatu- andsomany othercluesthathavemanagedtoescapethe
ralhistory,anditisapersonaldelightformetoreturnhere ravagesoftime. Allofthisworkisaimedatrevealingthe
toaccepttheDavidS.Ingalls,Jr.AwardforExcellence.Iam waysthatwewere.
particularlytouchedbythewonderfulsculpturethatLarry The creationist prediction about what all this research
Isardhasmadeforthisoccasion,aworkofartthattrulycap- wouldrevealissimple.Forthecreationist,itwasallmodern
tures the essence ofthe majestic gorilla and will always humans,allthewayback.Darwin’spredictionwasdifferent.
remindmeoftonight. Today,theMiddleAwashaffordsusagreatopen-airlabora-
Ifirstcamehereasagraduatestudent,andI’vecomeback toryinwhichtodirectlytesttheseverydifferentpredictions.
manytimes inthelast27years. Thislectureis associated Anyoneofabouteightslicesthrutimethatwearecur-
withanaward,butIcannotacceptthisasanawardtoTim rentlyinvestigatingintheMiddleAwashprojectwouldbea
White. You see, by definition, any awardbestowedon me lectureinitself.TonightI’vechosentofocusonthewaywe
rewardstheeffortsandcontributionsoftheteamofpeopleI weretwo-and-a-halfmillionyearsago,andtoconcentrateon
workwith.Icanthereforeonlyacceptthisawardonbehalf abehavioralrevolutioninthehumancareer.
ofall ofmy colleagues. Several team members are here Wehavediscoveredanew speciesofAustralopithecus
tonight. ProfessorC. OwenLovejoy,from KentState Uni- that we have namedgarhi, the Afar word for “surprise,”
versityishere.HowmanytimeshaveOwenandIgoneback because of its surprising combination of features, and
tothecollectionsdownstairstocheckanotherobservation,to because itwas foundin ahorizon wherethe butchery of
gainanotherinsight?AndBruceLatimer, nowinchargeof large ungulates with stonetools hadoccurredtwo-and-a-
Physical Anthropology at the museum. Bruce is always a halfmillion years ago. These discoveries have opened a
sourceofinspiration,withasmileandcharacterthatener- windowonapoorly-knownperiodinAfrica,furtherillu-
gizeallaroundhim,hereandalsointhedesertsofinAfrica. minatingourancestry.
AndScottSimpson,who’snothereatthemoment,butwho Lackingafossilrecordforthehumanpast,Darwinwas
is right now probably watching the sun rise in Ethiopia, forc—ed to triangulate ancestors from evolution’s end prod-
hopefullyonhiswaytofindinganotherhominid.AndLuba ucts modempeopleandmodemapes.Heconcludedthat
Gudz,anartisthereatthemuseumwhohasaccuratelyren- ourevolutioninvolvedagraduallyexpandingbrain,reducing
deredourdiscoveriesforaworldwideaudienceofscientists canineteeth, increasingbipedality, andtooluse. Wenow
over the last quarter of a century. And Lyman Jellema. knowthatwedidn’thappenthatway.
66 WHITE No.52
Byatleastfourmillionyearsago,therewerefullybipedal AndT. H. Huxley’s as rightas he was overacentury
creatureswithsmallcaninesandsmallbrainsandnostone ago.Thissearchforouroriginsisstillthemostfascinating
tools.Muchlater,by2.5millionyearsago,wenowknowthat ofall human investigations. Human evolutionary studies
stonetoolsandlargemammalbutcherywerekeypartsofone presentfundamentallyinterestingquestions.Thecreation-
hominid’sbehavior.Bytwomillionyearsago,larger-brained istanswersdevelopedafewthousandyearsagobyhunter-
bipedshadappeared. gatherersinAustralia,byfarmersinMesoamerica,andby
Thenewdiscoveriesofearlyhominidsandtheirbehaviors prehistoricpastoral—istsintheMiddleEast,areallinterest-
tellusthatsometimeshortlyafterthreemillionyearsagoa ingandimportant butinafolkloricperspective, andin
bipedal primate embarked on a technologicaljourney that thecontextofreligiousstudies.NONEofthesemythshave
wouldultimatelytakeittotheSiliconValley,andonintospace. predictedwhatwehaveALREADYfoundintheMiddle
G—oing“lithic”at2.5millionyearsagowasabigrevolu- Awash.
tion itexpandedthesmallbrainedbipedalprimate’sniche Therearemanymorethingstolearn,buthereinONE
to make it a super-omnivore. Here was a primate that placeintheHornofAfrica,intheMiddleAwash,wehave
directlycompetedwithhyaenas,wilddogs,andlargecats. asequencethatalreadyshowswhatsomepeopledon’twant
Thisrevolutionhadvastimplicationsforselectivepressures the kids in Kansas to know: Our African roots are very
on this primate, and, ultimately, on its descendant’s geo- deep,anditwasn’thumansallthewayback.
graphicspreadoutofAfrica. So that’s my report about what we’ve been learning
This behavioral revolution was probably the second aboutthewaywewereat2.5millionyearsago.Ihopethat
largest behavioral shift in ourcareer, second only to the Owen,andBruce,andScott,andIwillhavemorechances
evolutionofbipedalitythatwenowknowtohavecomemil- togettogetherwithyouhereastheleadership, staff, and
lionsofyearsearlier. collectionsofTheClevelandMuseumofNaturalHistory
Inthisfield,peoplegoonandonaboutthenamesoffos- continue to support ourresearch, and as we continue to
sils. And about their different ideas regarding the shape publish —some of the other things that we’ve found in
detailsofthefamilytree.Thebottomlineisthatthedetailed Ethiopia fossilsandtheircontextsthattellusaboutthe
geometry ofthis tree is still unknown because there’s not wayswewereataquartermillion,onemillion,4.4million,
enoughevidence.Onlyworkinthefossilfieldsandindevel- andnoweven5.8millionyearsago.
opmentalbiologylaboratorieswillbringusclosertoresolv- Thismuseumhasplayedamajorroleinthesediscover-
ingissuesofearlyhominidspeciesandtheirrelationships. ies,andinthebuildingofknowledgeaboutourancestry.I
Butthevarietyoftongue-twistingnames andtherapidly- ambothproudandhumbledtohavebeenaparticipantin
changingfamilytreesarenotinterestingcomparedtothebig thisresearch,andalongthewaytohaveexploredthewon-
picture.What’sthebigpicturethat’salreadybeensketchedinby derfulcollectionsheldintrustataninstitutionwithsucha
paleoanthropology? As Darwin predicted, the record clearly gloriouspastandabright,beckoningfuture. Ithankyou
showsincreasinglyapelikehominidsthefurtherbackyougo. forinvitingme,andforthiswonderfulaward.