Simon Conway Morris
Simon Conway Morris
Simon Conway Morris FRSis an English palaeontologist who is best known for his detailed and careful study of the fossils of the Burgess Shale, and of the scientific concept of Cambrian explosion. The results of these discoveries were celebrated in Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould. Conway Morris's own book on the subject, The Crucible of Creation, however, is critical of Gould's presentation and interpretation...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionScientist
unique icons issues
The Burgess Shale is not unique, but for those who study evolution and fossils it has become something of an icon. It provides a reference point and a benchmark, a point of common discussion and an issue of universal scientific interest.
acid protein site
If one compares the sequence of amino acids that go to form the protein haemoglobin, it becomes apparent that humans and chimps are identical and do not differ in a single site ...
block technology arrows
The long history of mankind is studded with convergences, perhaps most notably in social systems and the use of artefacts and technology. But for human history, set in the arrow of time, there appears to be one intolerable stumbling-block. This is the catastrophic failure in human values and decency.
aliens evolution imagine
It is difficult to imagine evolution in alien planets operating in any manner other than Darwinian.
sight agreement littles
When discussing organic evolution the only point of agreement seems to be: ‘It happened.’ Thereafter, there is little consensus, which at first sight must seem rather odd.
hands way biting
The way Conway Morris goes about biting the hand that once fed him would make a shoal of piranha seem decorous.