Natalia Rybczynski
Encyclopedia
Natalia Rybczynski, Ph.D., is a Canadian
paleobiologist
, professor
and researcher
.
She is a research scientist with the Canadian Museum of Nature
and holds a professorship at Carleton University
in Ottawa. Her doctorate was obtained at Duke University
and her main interests are evolutionary functional morphology, particularly at the polar climes.
Rybczynski is notable for having discovered a previously unknown carnivorous arctic mammal, a proto-seal, which represents a "missing link"
between land-dwelling mammals and modern day ocean-going seals. Puijila darwini was discovered in 2007 on Devon Island
in the Canadian arctic. Discovery of this specimen was announced in the journal Nature
in April of 2009. She has also contributed to the understanding of the biomechanics of Suminia, a primitive mammal thought to exhibit early evidence of teeth and jaw structure specialized for chewing.
She is the niece of writer and architect Witold Rybczynski
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
paleobiologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
.
She is a research scientist with the Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Museum of Nature is a natural history museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its collections, which were started by the Geological Survey of Canada in 1856, include all aspects of the intersection of human society and nature, from gardening to gene-splicing...
and holds a professorship at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in Ottawa. Her doctorate was obtained at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
and her main interests are evolutionary functional morphology, particularly at the polar climes.
Rybczynski is notable for having discovered a previously unknown carnivorous arctic mammal, a proto-seal, which represents a "missing link"
Transitional fossil
A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a lifeform that exhibits characteristics of two distinct taxonomic groups. A transitional fossil is the fossil of an organism near the branching point where major individual lineages diverge...
between land-dwelling mammals and modern day ocean-going seals. Puijila darwini was discovered in 2007 on Devon Island
Devon Island
Devon Island , claimed to be the largest uninhabited island on Earth, is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the second-largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada's sixth largest island, and the 27th...
in the Canadian arctic. Discovery of this specimen was announced in the journal Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
in April of 2009. She has also contributed to the understanding of the biomechanics of Suminia, a primitive mammal thought to exhibit early evidence of teeth and jaw structure specialized for chewing.
She is the niece of writer and architect Witold Rybczynski
Witold Rybczynski
Witold Rybczynski , is a Canadian-American architect, professor and writer.Rybczynski was born in Edinburgh of Polish parentage and raised in Surrey, England before moving at a young age to Canada. He attended Loyola High School , located on Sherbrooke street, in Montreal-Ouest...
.
Selected publications
- A semi-aquatic Arctic mammalian carnivore from the Miocene epoch and origin of Pinnipedia
- Earliest evidence for efficient oral processing in a terrestrial herbivore
- Cranial morphology and phylogenetic significance of suminia getmanovi, a late permian anomodont from Russia
- A 3D animation model of Edmontosaurus (Hadrosauridae) skull for testing chewing hypotheses
- Castorid phylogenetics: Implications for the evolution of swimming and tree exploitation in beavers
- Pliocene Arctic temperature constraints from the growth rings and isotopic composition of fossil larch wood
- Cranial anatomy and phylogenetic position of Suminia getmanovi, a basal anomodont (Amniota: Therapsida) from the Late Permian of Eastern Europe