D. M. S. Watson facts for kids
Prof David Meredith Seares Watson (born June 18, 1886 – died July 23, 1973) was a very important scientist. He was the Jodrell Professor of Zoology (the study of animals) and Comparative Anatomy (comparing the body structures of different animals) at University College, London from 1921 to 1951. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
David Watson was born in Salford, England. His father was a chemist and worked with metals. David went to Manchester Grammar School and then studied science at the University of Manchester.
He became very interested in geology (the study of Earth's rocks and history) and started looking at fossil plants found in coal. In 1907, he wrote an important paper about "coal balls" with Marie Stopes, who also studied ancient plants. After he finished his degree, he continued his studies and earned his Master of Science (MSc) in 1909.
After his MSc, Watson traveled a lot to study fossils. He visited the British Museum of Natural History in London, and also went to South Africa, Australia, and the United States. In 1912, he became a lecturer at University College London, teaching about ancient backboned animals (Vertebrate Palaeontology).
His scientific work was paused in 1916 because of World War I. He joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and later the Royal Air Force. He helped design fabrics for balloons and airships.
Family Life
In 1917, David Watson married Katharine Margarite Parker. They had two daughters, Katharine Mary and Janet Vida.
Becoming a Professor
After World War I, Watson returned to his studies. In 1921, he became the Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at UCL. He also became the curator (manager) of the Grant Museum of Zoology there. He worked hard to improve the Zoology department and became a very respected scientist.
In 1922, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He gave important talks, like the Croonian Lecture in 1924 and the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford in 1928. In this talk, he spoke about "Paleontology and the Evolution of Man."
In 1931, he joined the British government's Agricultural Research Council. This meant he spent time in the United States, where he lectured at Yale University in 1937. When World War II started, he returned to Britain. He helped move the UCL Zoology department to Bangor, Wales, for safety. He also helped the government with food policy during the war.
After the war, he kept teaching and traveling. He received many awards, including the Darwin Medal and the Linnean Medal. He also got honorary degrees from many universities. In 1941, he won the Mary Clark Thompson Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.
He retired from his professor role in 1951. However, he continued to study and publish his work at UCL until he fully retired in 1965. In 1958, he received the special Darwin-Wallace Medal.
His main scientific work was about vertebrate palaeontology, especially fossil reptiles. He collected many fossils during his travels to Africa and Spain.
David Watson passed away on July 23, 1973, in Midhurst, Surrey.
Two types of fossil ray-finned fish, Watsonichthys and Watsonulus, are named in his honor.
DMS Watson Library
The Science library at University College London is named the DMS Watson Library to honor him. It is the second largest library at UCL and is located next to the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.
Famous Quote
David Watson once made a statement that is often talked about:
the Theory of Evolution itself, a theory universally accepted, not because it can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible.
In this quote, Watson was explaining that scientists accept the idea of evolution because it fits all the facts we know from studying animals, fossils, and how living things are spread around the world. He meant that while we don't directly see evolution happening over millions of years, the evidence strongly supports it. He felt that the only other idea, "special creation" (the belief that everything was created exactly as it is now), didn't make sense when compared to all the scientific evidence.
Published Works
David Watson wrote many important scientific papers and books, including:
- "Palaeontology and the Evolution of Man" (1928)
- The Animal Bones from Skara Brae (1931)
- "Science and Government" (1942)
- "Paleontology and Modern Biology" (1951)
- Many other papers on ancient backboned animals in scientific journals.
See also
- Category:Taxa named by D. M. S. Watson
