Ernst Mayr

Ernst Mayr( 1904-2005), born in Kempten,Germany, was a naturalized American citizen.

He, along with Theodosius Dobzhansky, George Gaylord Simpson, and G. Ledyard Stebbins, founded the "Modern Synthesis" in evolutionary biology. "The Modern Synthesis sought to integrate Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection with the recent development of population genetics by R. A. Fisher, Sewall Wright, and J. B. S. Haldane".(reference for quote:"Ernst Mayr." Animal Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007)

In his last decade as a centenarian, wrote a book called This is Biology: The Science of the Living World. In the opening chapter, What Is the Meaning of “Life” , he declares that understanding 'life' is one of the major objectives of biology.

Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr (1904-2005) in 1994. From Meyer A (2005) On the importance of being Ernst Mayr. PLoS Biol 3(5): e152