Davidson Black

Davidson Black was a man who loved old bones. He was born in Canada. As a boy, he looked for fossils by a river. Later, he moved to China to work. He wanted to find bones from long ago. He found teeth and pieces of a skull. These bones showed how people changed over time. He even kept one tooth in a small case. Many of the bones were lost in a war. We still learn from his work today.

Davidson Black was a scientist who studied old bones. He was a paleoanthropologist. This means he studied fossils to learn about the past.

Black was born in Canada in 1884. As a boy, he liked to collect fossils by a river. He later studied medicine at a university. In 1919, he moved to China to teach. He wanted to find fossils of early humans.

In 1926, workers found two old teeth near a place called Zhoukoudian. Black thought these teeth belonged to a new kind of human. He named them Sinanthropus pekinensis. Later, workers found a jaw and skull parts. These finds helped people learn how humans changed over time. Black used a large grant of $80,000 to keep studying.

Many of these bones were lost during World War II. They were being moved to keep them safe. No one knows if they were stolen or just lost. Today, only plaster copies of the bones remain. Black believed that early humans began in Asia. His work changed how scientists look at human history.

Davidson Black was a famous Canadian paleoanthropologist. A paleoanthropologist is a scientist who studies fossils to learn about early humans. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1884. As a young boy, he loved exploring the Kawartha lakes. He even searched for gold there. He also enjoyed collecting fossils by the Don River. Later, he studied medical science at the University of Toronto. He finished his degree in 1906. This training helped him understand how bodies are built.

Black's interest in human history grew in 1914. He worked with a scientist named Grafton Elliot Smith in England. During this time, Smith was studying the Piltdown Man. This work made Black curious about how humans evolved. In 1917, Black joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. He helped treat soldiers who were returning from war. After his service ended in 1919, he moved to China. He began working at the Peking Union Medical College. He eventually became the head of the anatomy department in 1924.

In 1926, a major discovery happened near Zhoukoudian. A scientist named Otto Zdansky found two fossil teeth. Black examined these teeth very carefully. He believed they belonged to a new human species. He gave them the name Sinanthropus pekinensis. Black even carried one tooth in a small velvet-lined copper case. Later, in November 1928, workers found a jaw and skull fragments. These finds were very important for science. They helped people understand the history of human life. Because of these finds, the Rockefeller Foundation gave Black $80,000 for more research.

Black believed in the Asia hypothesis. This is the idea that humans may have started in Asia. He thought early humans lived in places like Tibet and parts of China. His work helped move the focus of science toward Asia. In 1931, he won the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal. This is a special honor from the National Academy of Sciences. Later, a giant extinct ape was named Gigantopithecus blacki to honor him.

Many of the original fossils were lost during World War II. Scientists were trying to ship them to a safe place. During the war, the Japanese took control of the medical center. The laboratory where the fossils were kept was ransacked. The bones were taken, and no one knows where they went. People are not sure if they were stolen or just lost. Today, we only have plaster imprints of the bones. These imprints are kept in Washington, London, and at the Peking Union Medical College.

Davidson Black was a highly influential Canadian paleoanthropologist. A paleoanthropologist is a scientist who studies ancient fossils to understand the history of life. Black is most famous for his work in China. He identified a significant group of fossils known as Sinanthropus pekinensis. This group is now classified as Homo erectus pekinensis. His research helped change how scientists think about where humans came from.

Black was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1884. As a child, he spent much of his time near the Kawartha lakes. He enjoyed collecting fossils along the banks of the Don River. He even tried to search for gold in the lakes. In 1906, he earned a degree in medical science from the University of Toronto. He later studied comparative anatomy, which is the study of how different animals' bodies are built. This medical background was vital for his future work with fossils.

His interest in human evolution began in 1914. He worked with a neuroanatomist named Grafton Elliot Smith in Manchester, England. Smith was studying the Piltdown Man at that time. After serving in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War I, Black moved to China in 1919. He joined the Peking Union Medical College. He started as a professor of neurology and embryology. By 1924, he was the head of the anatomy department.

In 1926, Black began a major investigation at a site called Zhoukoudian, also known as Dragon Bone Hill. This search was possible because of a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. During the summer of 1926, an excavator named Otto Zdansky found two fossil molars. Zdansky described these as belonging to the genus Homo. Black believed these teeth belonged to a brand-new human species. He named them Sinanthropus pekinensis. He valued these finds so much that he carried one tooth in a velvet-lined copper case on his belt.

Discovery continued in November 1928. Workers found a lower jaw, several teeth, and skull fragments. These fossils significantly expanded the scientific knowledge of human evolution. Because of this success, the Rockefeller Foundation provided Black with an $80,000 grant. This money helped him establish the Cenozoic Research Laboratory. He used this facility to study the many specimens found at the site. Black often worked late into the night to examine these ancient remains.

Black was a leading supporter of the Asia hypothesis. This is the theory that human origins can be found in Asia. In a 1925 paper, he suggested humans might have originated in Tibet, British India, or the Tarim Basin of China. His work caused the focus of paleoanthropological research to move toward Asia until 1930. For his contributions, he received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal in 1931. Later, the extinct ape Gigantopithecus blacki was named in his honor.

Tragedy struck the collection during World War II. Scientists attempted to ship the fossils to a safer location. During the war, the Japanese gained control of the Peking Union Medical College. The laboratory containing the fossils was ransacked. The remaining specimens were confiscated, and the original bones were lost. To this day, no one knows if they were stolen or simply lost. Only plaster imprints of the fossils remain in Washington, London, and at the medical college.