Stephen Jay Gould.

GOULD, Stephen Jay, 1941-2002; PALEONTOLOGISTS; GEOLOGISTS; FOSSILS; BIOLOGICAL evolution; PALEONTOLOGY; PUNCTUATED equilibrium (Biological evolution); ELDREDGE, Niles; LIFE sciences; EVOLUTION research; LIFE (Biology); CELEBRITIES; SCIENCE in popular culture; SCIENCE in mass media; NATURAL History (Periodical); NOVA (TV program); SCIENTISTS

Background information on American paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould is presented. The author reviews how Gould was one of the most popular scientists of the twentieth century. In the field of paleontology, he is known as an expert on the fossils of the land snail genus Cerion, and is remembered among evolutionary biologists for his challenge of certain tenets of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Among the general public, Gould is best known for his award-winning books and essays that made science accessible to the general public, and which inspired a generation of students to follow in his footsteps. Information on Gould's birth, early life, and education is reviewed.