Leigh Van Valen

Leigh Van Valen

Van Valen in 1981
Born (1935-08-12)August 12, 1935
Albany, New York
Died October 16, 2010(2010-10-16) (aged 75)
Chicago, Illinois
Nationality American
Occupation Evolutionary biologist
Known for Red Queen Hypothesis

Leigh Van Valen (August 12, 1935 – October 16, 2010) was an American evolutionary biologist. He was professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago.

Amongst other work, Van Valen's proposed "Law of Extinction" drew upon the apparent constant probability (as opposed to rate) of extinction in families of related organisms, based on data compiled from existing literature on the duration of tens of thousands of genera throughout the fossil record. Van Valen proposed the Red Queen Hypothesis (1973), as an explanatory tangent to the Law of Extinction. The Red Queen Hypothesis captures the idea that there is a constant 'arms race' between co-evolving species. Its name is a reference to the Red Queen's race in Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking Glass, in which the chess board moves such that Alice must continue running just to stay in the same place.[1]

Van Valen also defined the Ecological Species Concept in 1976, in contrast to Ernst Mayr's Biological Species Concept. In 1991, he proposed that HeLa cells be defined as a new species, which was named Helacyton gartleri.[1]

Van Valen originated the concept of fuzzy sets, prior to the formalization of this concept by L.A. Zadeh . He was the editor of the journal Evolutionary Theory, which he printed on simple paper stock under the motto, "Substance over form."

He had a deep understanding of many fields outside of biology, including measure theory, probability theory, logic, thermodynamics, epistemology and the philosophy of science. It is widely thought that the unusual breadth and depth of his knowledge contributed to his great originality in the field of biology and elsewhere. As a biologist, Van Valen considered the role of zoological and botanical gardens, in a world with a degrading natural environment, to be essential for the safeguard of endangered flora and fauna.

Biography

He was born in Albany, New York. He earned a zoology and botany degree at age 20 in 1955 from faculty of biology at Miami University in Ohio. He attended Columbia University and studied under George Gaylord Simpson and Theodosius Dobzhansky.

Leigh Van Valen was born on Aug. 12, 1935, in Albany and was chosen “most academic” in the first grade. He earned a zoology and botany degree at age 20 from Biological Science faculty, at Miami University of Ohio. As a graduate student at Columbia, he studied under George Gaylord Simpson and Theodosius Dobzhansky, both giants in honing the synthetic theory of evolution, which melded Darwin’s ideas about evolution with Mendel’s on genetics. Van Valen met and married Phebe May Hoff while they were both doctoral students in biology at Columbia University. They had two children, girls Katrina and Diana. They divorced in 1984 after a long and friendly separation. Van Valen then married Virginia Maiorana, and eventually separated from that relationship as well. His last great love, with whom he was engaged to be married, was Towako Katsuno, a Japanese professor of Geriatric Nursing. They met when she came to Chicago to do her PhD.[1][2]

Leigh Van Valen died on October 16, 2010 of pneumonia at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center in Chicago, Illinois. Van Valen had been hospitalized for more than three months from a rare form of fungal pneumonia, complicated by a long-standing but slowly progressing form of leukemia.[3][4]

Van Valen's description of his work

On the University of Chicago website for the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, Van Valen had written and posted this about himself:

I am a generalist and tend to open new approaches more than fill them in. What I work on changes irregularly and unpredictably with the progress of theory and knowledge. I am currently writing a book that expands on my perspective (the Red Queen’s hypothesis) of trophic energy as a major controller of evolution and ecology. Some recent topics: (1) The evolution of biotas can be approached through changes in patterns of energy flow and their control. I am looking at the basal Cenozoic radiation of placental mammals from this perspective; there are surprisingly large changes in the group selection causing the changes, and in its components; (2) Single-species populations of birds decrease in density with body size at the same rate as the total energy flow through single individuals increases. A student found a similar pattern for mammals. This implies a community regulation of absolute fitnesses, if one accepts my heretical (ecological) view of the nature of fitness; (3)The actual levels of selection in the current rapid evolution of our own species differ from standard concepts and are generalizable; (4) Charles Lyell used (real) species selection before Darwin. Work of my students has also been diverse. Some examples: norm of reaction, biogeography, fossil mammals, mathematical anthropological genetics, complexity, body size, human sociobiology, developmental noise, sloth limbs, natural selection, allometry. My interests go beyond what the blurb indicates.[5]

Publications

Publications include:

References

  1. 1 2 3 Martin, Douglas (October 30, 2010). "Leigh Van Valen, Evolution Revolutionary, Dies at 76". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Family history, included by Leigh and Phebe's daughter Katrina Van Valen
  3. ↑ "Van Valen, known for 'Red Queen' hypothesis, dies". Chicago Tribune. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010. Leigh Van Valen, 75, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago who originated the influential "Red Queen" hypothesis, called one of the most important ideas in modern biology, died Saturday, Oct. 16. Mr. Van Valen was hospitalized for more than three months and died of a recurrent respiratory infection at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center in Chicago, according to his wife, Virginia Maiorana.
  4. ↑ Family history, Leigh's daughter Katrina Van Valen.
  5. ↑ Official University of Chicago website

External links

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