Cuvier said: "Monsters are not terrible, terrible is ignorance, learn well!" ”
When we think of biologists, we may first think of Mr. Darwin, the biologist who is well known and proposed the "theory of evolution", but here we introduce another little-known scientist, who is the dictator of biology, Georges Cuvier.
George Cuvier (network diagram)
Born in Montbéliard in 1769, Georges Cuvier was able to read at the age of 4, was considered a child prodigy from an early age, and entered the University of Stuttgart at the age of 14. Thanks to his miraculous memory, coupled with extremely rigorous scientific training and a persistent passion for learning, he succeeded in his studies at the age of 18 and began to work as a teaching assistant at the University of Normandy.
Cuvier's life was legendary, with the rest of his life taking on a variety of occupations, including scientists, social activists, and politicians. In addition to participating in political activities, due to the full use of time and energy, he made amazing achievements in science, leaving an immortal scientific legacy.
In science, he proposed the "organ-related law", arguing that the body of an animal is a unified whole, and the structure of each part of the body has a corresponding relationship. And the use of organ-related principles and methods, based on a small number of skeletal fossils for the overall restoration of animals. These pioneering works made him the founder of comparative anatomy and paleontology.
In addition, Cuvier proposed the "catastrophic theory" based on the phenomenon of "discontinuities" between major geological epochs and various stages of biological development. It is believed that the global great change in nature has caused the "great extinction" of biological taxa, and the remaining parts have been developed and disseminated to form biological groups at various stages in the future. His scientific hypothesis is also largely consistent with the conclusions of modern geology and paleontology. Cuvier's extensive writings and extensive collection of materials are rare in the world. Cuvier's influence spread throughout the Western world and was hailed as the "second Aristotle" by the people of the time.
Cuvier (network diagram)
Because of the power in Cuvier's hands during his lifetime, speaking in academia had the effect of speaking loudly and distantly, and people privately gave him a nickname - the dictator of biology. However, in the serious attitude towards science, Cuvier seems to have something worth learning, and here we have to mention a small story that happened around him.
Once, one of Cuvier's naughty students wanted to make a joke with him and scare him. In the dead of night, the student disguised himself as a "monster" with two large horns on its head, hooves on all fours, and a bloody mouth, and secretly crawled into Cuvier's room.
Cuvier was asleep, unaware. The student suddenly made a ferocious hissing sound and a snorting sound, making it look like he was going to eat people.
Cuvier was awakened, first stunned, and then considered how to escape quickly and safely. But when he looked at the "monster" carefully through the light, he suddenly laughed and said, "It turned out to be a grass eater, so why should I be afraid of you!" Having said that, he went to sleep again in his stable sleep.
The student was bored and had to retreat curtly.
The next day, the student couldn't hold back and asked Cuvier, "Teacher, didn't you get into a 'monster' in your house last night?" Cuvier said humorously: "I specialize in the study of living things, and of course I welcome all kinds of 'monsters' to visit my room, day or night." The student asked, "How do you know at a glance that the 'monster' only eats grass and cannot eat people?" "Hahaha! Didn't I explain it to you in class? To determine whether an animal eats grass or meat, one need only look at its limbs, mouth, teeth and jaws. If an animal eats meat, the bones and muscles above and below its mouth must be suitable for swallowing raw meat, the teeth must be very sharp, can chew raw meat, the eyes, nose, ears must be good at finding distant prey, and its limbs must be suitable for chasing and catching prey. Last night the 'monster', as soon as I looked at its limbs, I knew that it was grazing and would not hurt me, because its limbs were hooves, and hard hooves were not suitable for chasing and catching prey. Hooves like old cattle and goats can't catch any small animals. So I concluded that the 'monster' was grazing. Cuvier said with a smile. The naughty student then knows the reason for the failure of his prank. He said, "Please forgive me, my naughtiness surprised the teacher." ”
Cuvier smiled and said, "Monsters are not terrible, what is terrible is ignorance." Study well! ”
Scientific research is like this, you must collect, sort, analyze a large amount of data, after careful reasoning, to come up with accurate judgment. Monsters are not terrible, what is terrible is ignorance.
Author: Koyama