Neil Shubin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Shubin
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Shubin after speaking at the University of Tulsa
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| Born | December 22, 1960 |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (A.B.) Harvard University (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Discovery of Tiktaalik roseae |
| Awards | Miller Research Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowship National Academy of Sciences National Academy of Sciences 2015 Communication Award with Michael Rosenfeld and David Dugan in Film/Radio/TV for "Your Inner Fish" |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Evolutionary biology |
| Institutions | University of Chicago Field Museum of Natural History |
| Thesis | The morphogenesis and origin of the skeletal pattern of the tetrapod limb (1987) |
Neil Shubin, born on December 22, 1960, is an American scientist who studies ancient life (a paleontologist). He also studies how living things change over time (an evolutionary biologist). He is known for writing books and appearing on TV shows that make science easy to understand. Dr. Shubin works at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History. He is most famous for helping to discover a very important fossil called Tiktaalik roseae. He found it with his colleagues Ted Daeschler and Farish Jenkins.
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About Neil Shubin
Neil Shubin grew up in the Overbrook Hills area of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. He went to Lower Merion High School.
He earned his first degree from Columbia University in 1982. Later, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1987. He also spent some time studying at the University of California, Berkeley.
In 2011, Dr. Shubin was chosen to be part of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of top scientists in the United States.
Sharing Science with Everyone
Neil Shubin is great at explaining science to people of all ages.
- In April 2006, when the Tiktaalik fossil was first shown to the world, ABC News named him their "Person of the Week."
- He appeared on The Colbert Report a popular TV show, in 2008 and 2013.
- In 2015, he won a special award for communicating science. This $20,000 prize was given by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He won it with Michael Rosenfeld and David Dugan for their TV show, Your Inner Fish.
- Neil Shubin hosted Your Inner Fish on PBS. This show helped explain how our bodies have features that link us to ancient fish. The show also created materials for science classrooms.
In 2017, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society. This is one of the oldest and most respected groups of scholars in the United States. He also helped lead the Marine Biological Laboratory for a short time in 2017.
Discoveries and Contributions
Dr. Shubin has helped name several ancient animals. When scientists discover a new species, they often get to name it. Here are some of the creatures he helped name:
| Year | Taxon (Scientific Name) | Scientists Who Named It |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qikiqtania wakei | Stewart, Lemberg, Daly, Daeschler, & Shubin |
| 2006 | Tiktaalik roseae | Daeschler, Shubin, & Jenkins |
| 2003 | Chunerpeton tianyiensis | Gao & Shubin |
Awards and Honors
In 2019, Neil Shubin received the Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award. He was chosen for this award because of his amazing discoveries. His work helps us understand how different parts of the human body came to be. It also shows how all life on Earth is connected.
See also
In Spanish: Neil Shubin para niños
