Robert Broom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Broom
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| Born | 30 November 1866 Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
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| Died | 6 April 1951 (aged 84) Pretoria, South Africa
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| Nationality | British, South African |
| Education | University of Glasgow |
| Known for | Identification of hominim fossils, The mammal-like reptiles of South Africa and the origin of mammals, The coming of man: was it accident or design? and other books |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Baird Baillie |
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| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society Royal Medal (1928) Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal (1946) Wollaston Medal (1949) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Stellenbosch, South African Museum, Cape Town |
| Patrons | Jan Smuts |
| Influences | Raymond Dart |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Broom |
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Robert Broom (born November 30, 1866 – died April 6, 1951) was a famous doctor and palaeontologist from Scotland and South Africa. A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies fossils to learn about ancient life. He became a medical doctor in 1895 and later earned a special science degree from the University of Glasgow.
From 1903 to 1910, he taught zoology and geology at Victoria College in Stellenbosch, South Africa. After that, he worked at the South African Museum in Cape Town, where he looked after vertebrate (animals with backbones) fossils.
Contents
Robert Broom's Life Story
Robert Broom was born in Paisley, Scotland. His father, John Broom, designed patterns for fabrics and Paisley shawls. In 1893, Robert married Mary Baird Baillie, who he had known since childhood.
Early Career and Move to South Africa
During his medical studies at the University of Glasgow, Broom focused on obstetrics, which is the study of childbirth. After finishing his degree in 1895, he traveled to Australia and worked as a doctor to support himself. He then moved to South Africa in 1897, just before the Second Boer War.
From 1903 to 1910, he was a professor at Victoria College in Stellenbosch. However, he had to leave this job because he strongly believed in evolution. He then started his own medical practice in the Karoo region of South Africa. This area was very rich in mammal-like reptile fossils.
Discoveries in Palaeontology
Broom continued to study these fossils and the anatomy of mammals. Because of his important work, he became a member of the Royal Society in 1920. After the discovery of the Taung Child fossil, Broom became very interested in finding human ancestors.
He began working on newer fossils found in the dolomite caves north-west of Johannesburg. One of the most important sites was Sterkfontein Cave, which is now part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Besides describing many mammal fossils from these caves, he also found several hominin fossils. Hominins are a group that includes humans and our closest ancient relatives.
His most complete discovery was an Australopithecine skull, which was famously nicknamed Mrs Ples. He also found a partial skeleton that showed these early human relatives walked upright, just like us!
Robert Broom passed away in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1951.
Robert Broom's Contributions to Science
Broom first became known for his studies of mammal-like reptiles. These are ancient creatures that had features of both reptiles and mammals. After Raymond Dart found the Taung Child, which was a young australopithecine, Broom's interest in palaeoanthropology grew a lot. Palaeoanthropology is the study of human evolution through fossils.
At one point, Broom was struggling financially. Raymond Dart wrote to Jan Smuts, a famous South African leader, about Broom's situation. Smuts helped Broom get a job in 1934 at the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria as an Assistant in Palaeontology.
Major Fossil Finds
In the years that followed, Broom and his colleague John T. Robinson made many amazing fossil discoveries. They found parts of six hominins in Sterkfontein. They named one of these Plesianthropus transvaalensis, which became known as Mrs. Ples. This fossil was later identified as an adult Australopithecus africanus. They also made more discoveries at other sites like Kromdraai and Swartkrans.
In 1937, Broom made another very important discovery. He identified a new type of robust hominin (meaning strongly built) called Paranthropus, after finding Paranthropus robustus. These discoveries helped to prove Raymond Dart's ideas about the Taung Child species.
For his book, The South Africa Fossil Ape-Men, The Australopithecinae, Broom received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal in 1946. This award is given by the National Academy of Sciences for outstanding research.
Broom spent the rest of his career exploring these fossil sites and studying the many early hominin remains found there. He continued to write right up until his death. Shortly before he passed away, he finished a major book on the Australopithecines. He told his nephew, "Now that's finished ... and so am I."
Robert Broom's Beliefs on Spiritual Evolution
Robert Broom was a nonconformist, meaning he didn't follow the main church. He was very interested in the paranormal and spiritualism. He didn't agree with some parts of Darwinism and materialism, which suggest that everything can be explained by physical matter and forces.
Broom believed in something called "spiritual evolution." In his book The Coming of Man: Was it Accident or Design? (1933), he suggested that "spiritual agencies" had guided evolution. He thought that animals and plants were too complex to have just happened by chance. Broom believed there were at least two different kinds of spiritual forces, and he thought that psychics could see them.
He felt that evolution had a plan and a purpose, and that the main goal of evolution was the creation of Homo sapiens (modern humans). Broom wrote that "Much of evolution looks as if it had been planned to result in man, and in other animals and plants to make the world a suitable place for him to dwell in."
After finding the skull of Mrs. Ples, someone asked Broom if he just dug randomly. Broom replied that spirits had told him where to find his amazing discoveries.
Robert Broom's Legacy
Robert Broom's work is remembered in the scientific name of a type of Australian blind snake, which is called Anilios broomi.
See also
In Spanish: Robert Broom para niños
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina fossils (with images)
- Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research
- John Talbot Robinson, co-discoverer of Mrs Ples.
- PanAfrican Archaeological Association
