J. G. M. ‘Hans’ Thewissen
What are they talking about? The evolution of sound and hearing in whales
About the Speaker
J. G. M. ‘Hans’ Thewissen was born in the Netherlands and received an undergraduate degree in Biology and Geology at the University of Utrecht, the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and the University of Michigan. While working on a project in Pakistan funded by National Geographic, he discovered skeletons of the first whales, Pakicetus and Ambulocetus, the latter dubbed as the smoking gun of whale evolution by Steven Jay Gould. After more than two decades in collecting fossils in Pakistan and India, he shifted his focus to bowhead and beluga whale research on Alaska’s North Coast. Hans has studied the paleontology, anatomy, and embryology of whales for over four decades. Bringing together anatomical and paleontological work, his most recent research seeks to understand why whales have larger brains than any other being on the planet, and how that may be related to their echolocation system. His contributions have led to multiple fossil discoveries and advancements in the world of paleontology. He has published more than 100 scientific papers, is an editor of the Marine Mammal Encyclopedia, author of a popular book on the origin of whales, ‘The Walking Whales’ (University of California Press), and chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at NEOMED, where he teaches anatomy and embryology to medical students.