About Dr. Niles Eldredge
Niles Eldredge has been an active research paleontologist at the museum for over thirty years. After getting a Ph.D. in geology from Columbia University, Niles devoted his attention to effecting a better fit between evolutionary theory and the fossil record. In 1972 he announced the theory of punctuated equilibria -- the idea that evolutionary changes may have occurred abruptly --which he co-authored with Stephen Jay Gould.
Niles knows that a critical link exists between the mass extinctions of the geological past and today's biodiversity crisis. Fossils have a great deal to teach us about our ecological and evolutionary future.
Niles's most recent book, Life in the Balance, explores our current biodiversity crisis. He is a regular lecturer at the City University of New York where he is an Adjunct Professor of Biology, and is also an avid trumpet and cornet player.
|