Erik Stensiö facts for kids
Erik Helge Osvald Stensiö (born October 2, 1891 – died January 11, 1984) was a famous Swedish scientist. He was a paleozoologist, which means he studied ancient animals, especially those found as fossils. He later changed his last name to Stensiö, after his hometown.
Two types of ancient fish are named after him: Stensioella, an armored fish from the Devonian period, and Stensionotus, a ray-finned fish from the Triassic period.
Contents
His Life and Discoveries
Early Life and Education
Erik Helge Oswald Andersson was his original name. He was born in a small village called Stensjö by in Kalmar County, Sweden. His father, Johan Fredrik Andersson, was a farmer.
Erik went to school in Linköping. Then, he studied science at the University of Uppsala, where he earned his first degree in 1912.
Becoming a Fossil Expert
In 1921, he earned his Ph.D. from Uppsala University. He also became a "docent," which is like a university teacher. In 1923, he became a professor and the head of the department for fossil animals at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. He worked there until he retired in 1959.
In 1917, he decided to change his last name from Andersson to Stensiö. He chose the name of his hometown, Stensjö, for his new last name.
Studying Ancient Fish
Professor Stensiö focused on studying the anatomy (how bodies are built) and evolution (how living things change over time) of early vertebrates, which are animals with backbones.
His studies of placoderms, which were ancient armored fish, showed they were related to modern sharks. Today, scientists believe placoderms were a very early group of fish that had jaws.
His first big work was a book called Triassic fishes from Spitzbergen. He wrote it based on the fossils he collected during his trips to Spitzbergen (an island group north of Norway) in 1912, 1913, 1915, and 1916. For another important book, The Downtonian and Devonian Vertebrates of Spitzbergen, Part I, he received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal in 1926 from the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.
The "Stockholm School"
Erik Stensiö started a special way of studying ancient animals, which became known as the "Stockholm School" of paleozoology. His students and later professors, like Erik Jarvik and Tor Ørvig, continued his important work.
Awards and Recognition
Professor Stensiö was recognized for his amazing work in science.
- In 1927, he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
- In 1946, he was chosen as a special international member of the Royal Society, a very famous science group in the United Kingdom.
- He received the Wollaston Medal in 1953, which is a top award in geology.
- In 1957, he received the Linnean Medal from the Linnean Society of London.
- In 1958, he was awarded the prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society of London.
Erik Stensiö passed away on January 11, 1984, in Stockholm.
His Family
Erik Stensiö was married to Aina Laurell.
