Elizabeth Vrba
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth S. Vrba is a paleontologist
at Yale University
. Vrba earned her Ph.D. in Zoology and Palaeontology at the University of Cape Town
, in 1974. She is well known for developing the Turnover Pulse Hypothesis
, as well as coining the word exaptation
with colleague Stephen Jay Gould
. She has been a faculty member at the Department of Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, since the early 1980s.
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Vrba earned her Ph.D. in Zoology and Palaeontology at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, in 1974. She is well known for developing the Turnover Pulse Hypothesis
Turnover-pulse hypothesis
The Turnover-pulse hypothesis was constructed by paleoanthropologist Elisabeth Vrba used to gauge the rate of survival and adaptations within species...
, as well as coining the word exaptation
Exaptation
Exaptation, cooption, and preadaptation are related terms referring to shifts in the function of a trait during evolution. For example, a trait can evolve because it served one particular function, but subsequently it may come to serve another. Exaptations are common in both anatomy and behaviour...
with colleague Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
. She has been a faculty member at the Department of Geology & Geophysics, Yale University, since the early 1980s.