Vrba, Elisabeth (1942–)

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Vrba, Elisabeth (1942–)

South African-American paleontologist. Born May 27, 1942, in Hamburg, Germany; dau. of a law professor who died when she was 2; with mother, moved to Namibia soon after; m. George Vrba.

Raised in Namibia; studied zoology and statistics at University of Cape Town, South Africa (graduated with honors); taught high school after move to Pretoria (1967); began work as unpaid assistant at Transvaal Museum (1968) and became deputy director in charge of fossil hominids (human ancestors) collection; developed turn over pulse hypothesis, a theory based on studies of fossils hominids and fossil antelopes that claims climate changes led to evolution of humans and other species and fails to support Charles Darwins' survival of the fittest theory; relocated to US with family (1986); became tenured professor in Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University.