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Constraints and Freedom of Finnish Paleontology

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Constraints and Freedom of Finnish Paleontology Ann. Zool. Fennici 51: 2–16 ISSN 0003-455X (print), ISSN 1797-2450 (online) Helsinki 7 April 2014 © Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 2014 Between hard rock and open space: Constraints and freedom of Finnish paleontology Kristian Donner Department of Biosciences , Division of Physiology and Neuroscience, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland Received 12 Nov. 2013, final version received 1 Dec. 2013, accepted 3 Dec. 2013 Donner, K. 2014: Between hard rock and open space: Constraints and freedom of Finnish paleon- tology. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 51: 2–16. Palaeontology is the science which treats of the and to be received and in turn reshaped by indi- life that has existed on the globe during former vidual actors. The role of single individuals and geological periods. It deals with all questions what may even appear as pure chance is likely concerning the properties, classification, rela- to be especially conspicuous in small environ- tionships, descent, conditions of existence, and ments. the distribution in space and time of the ancient This has certainly been true of the distin- inhabitants of the earth, as well as with those guished but tenuous tradition of Finnish pale- theories of organic and cosmogonic evolution ontology. Natural conditions are not favourable. which result from such inquiries. The Ice Age cleared away and reshuffled most that had remained of post-Cambrian sediments, Grundzüge der Paläontologie leaving, with few exceptions, ancient bedrock (von Zittel 1895), English transla- covered by postglacial soft tissue. In spite of tion by Charles Eastman (1900) occasional pieces of mammoth (see e.g. Ukko- nen et al. 1999), fossil-hunting is not a prom- I won’t say the pieces were beginning to fall into ising source of inspiration for hopeful young place, but at least they were getting to look like naturalists. Finnish geology has not contributed parts of the same puzzle. Which is all I ever get anything to the classical debates about the Age or ask. of Earth, or the History of Life on time scales of tens to hundreds of millions of years. Raymond Chandler: The Little On the other hand, although small in itself, Sister, motto of Mikael Fortelius’ Finland has enjoyed the benefits of two strong Ph.D. thesis (1985) politico-cultural contexts: first the Kingdom of Sweden, then the Russian Empire. Scientifically, Sweden remained a great power throughout the Introduction 18th century, and the Linnaean heritage influ- enced Natural History in Finland well into the Science in any particular place and time depends 1900s. The Royal Academy in Åbo (Turku), on factors acting at many different levels. Global founded in 1640, was one of the main Swed- Zeitgeist and technology are filtered through ish universities, deeply involved in Linnaeus’ local conditions to shape research environments project of collecting and systematizing the bio- ANN. ZOOL. FENNICI Vol. 51 • Constraints and freedom of Finnish paleontology 3 logical treasures of the whole world. Two of mologist Carl Reinhold Sahlberg, who in the his foremost apostles were Finns: Pehr Kalm, same year founded the first scientific society in travelling in North America and subsequently Finland together with some of his students, von becoming Professor of Natural History in Turku, Nordmann among them. Recruiting the Linnaean and Petter Forsskåhl, travelling (and perishing) heritage in the service of the ascending National in Arabia. In the 19th century, as subjects of the Project, the society was named Societas pro Emperor of Russia and Grand Duke of Finland, Fauna et Flora Fennica. Only six years later, Finns had “domestic” access to all the corners Turku burned down almost completely and most of the world’s largest empire, spanning from of the biological collections were lost. This, the Arctic to the Black Sea and from Poland together with the death of his father, gave von to northern California. This included the main Nordmann the decisive impulse to go abroad, Russian centres of learning, with the capital St. first to Berlin. Light microscopy was then under- Petersburg only some 300 km away from Hel- going the fast technological developments that sinki. laid the foundations for modern cytology, and While most Finnish paleontologists have had already produced remarkable results in the been zoologists in the first place and only sec- ontogenetic studies of Karl von Baer and Hein- ondarily geologists, it should be noted that a rich Rathke. Microscopic investigation of inver- strong line of Quaternary geology goes back at tebrates became von Nordmann’s speciality. least to Wilhelm Ramsay (Professor of Geology Mikrographische Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte 1899–1928), and some of it may well qualify as der Wirbellosen Thiere (von Nordmann 1832) paleontology, or maybe paleobiology. Especially was his scientific breakthrough, with identifica- noteworthy is the palynological tradition from tions and life history descriptions of, e.g., para- Matti Sauramo, who became the first professor sitic crustaceans. On these merits, he was offered of a discipline that was actually renamed “Geol- the post as Professor of Botany and Zoology at ogy and Paleontology” in 1940 (Donner 2003, the Richelieu Lyceum in Odessa, soon becom- 2005). Sauramo’s production even includes a ing Director of the Botanical Garden as well. study of older fossils from the nearby Estonian His activities during those happy years were coast around the island of Vorms. Palynological diverse and wide-ranging, including no less than chronology, since the 1950s supported by isotope 14 scientific expeditions in the southern parts techniques, has remained important. Beyond the of the Russian Empire. Most important in the far border of the Finnish geological time gap, present context are his excavations of several Precambrian microfossils have more recently rich “diluvian” sites of mussel shells with later attracted considerable attention (e.g. Tynni 1980, clay intrusions holding masses of disordered Tynni & Donner 1980, Tynni & Uutela 1984). mammalian bone fragments. The first one was In the present article, however, I shall focus on discovered in 1846 in Odessa itself in connection the main line of Finnish paleontology, which is with urban construction work. In 1849, von Nor- firmly rooted in the study of animals (Cenozoic dmann returned to Finland to take up the chair mammals) — even when the institutional affilia- of Natural History at the University, which had tion of the investigators may have been Geology, by then moved to Helsinki. He presented his rich now part of Geosciences and Geography at the fossil material in four instalments at meetings of University of Helsinki. the Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica in 1854 (I–III) and 1860 (IV). The reports were printed in 1859–1860 (Hjelt 1867, Moring 1984). Alexander von Nordmann Thus the science of paleontology makes its entrance in Finland with a solid study entitled Southern Russia was the main arena of the first Palaeontologie Süd-Russlands. It is a descrip- paleontologist of Finnish origin, Alexander von tive, taxonomically organized catalogue of the Nordmann (1803–1866), who had enrolled at bone fragments, accompanied by 28 beauti- the University in Turku in 1821 to study Natural ful lithographic plates (“Being a draughtsman History. His professor was the prominent ento- myself, I have drawn the sketches for the illus- 4 Donner • ANN. ZOOL. FENNICI Vol. 51 trations …”). The first part is entirely devoted to ing reputation, and most tangibly, his fossil col- cave bears, and its few conclusions give a flavour lection, of which a significant part including the of the strict empiricist ethos: “The benevolent cave bear material was finally purchased by the Reader … will doubtlessly ask, what results can University in Helsinki. be deduced from all the above data, descriptions and comparative measures of various bones?” Well, first that the Odessa bear is identical to the Björn Kurtén cave bears described from other parts of Europe, second, that the bears now living are so different In 1945, Björn Kurtén (1924–1988) from the that they cannot be regarded as transformed (or Ostrobothnian town of Vaasa entered the same maybe deviant, “entartete”) forms of the cave university to study geology and zoology. His was bear, but represent a separate species. It is amus- a lively imagination nourished on many kinds ing to compare von Nordmann’s modest conclu- of literature, including books about dinosaurs sions with the grand scenarios that his successors and other beasts. While still a schoolboy, he have derived from basically similar material. had published an adventure novel in his native Von Nordmann rejected the idea of species Swedish, and two more appeared during his transformations larger than such that would have first years at university. Paleontology was just been acceptable to Bonnet or even Linnaeus. then experiencing the paradigm shift marked by His framework was purely Cuvierian — mor- George Gaylord Simpson’s pivotal Tempo and phological analysis illuminating taxonomy and Mode in Evolution (1944), whereby it became an functional anatomy. There can be no talk of integral part of the “modern synthesis” of genet- macroevolution. Of course, given the nature of ics and population biology with Darwinian evo- the localities (e.g., “Eine Diluviallehmgrube in lution (Dobzhansky 1937). Simpson’s book set Odessa”), his fossils lend themselves readily to the scene for Kurtén’s entire scientific work. At Cuvierian catastrophe theory. Interestingly, von the University he was introduced to population Nordmann was personally acquainted with many dynamics, quantitative ecology and functional of the leading contemporary figures of embry- anatomy by his zoology teachers, most notably ology and comparative anatomy (von Baer, Olavi Kalela and Pontus Palmgren. Through Rathke, and the Naturphilosoph Lorenz Oken), Palmgren, he got the opportunity to study with disciplines that would soon, in the hands of Hae- the paleontologist Birger Bohlin in Uppsala ckel, be effectively recruited in support of evolu- (Sweden).
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