Gudrun Corvinus (1932-2006)-pioneering Paleoanthropologist

摘要

In early January of 2006, the scientific community tragically lost an important scholar and a dear friend when Gudrun Corvinus was brutally murdered in Pune (Maharashtra, India). In retrospect, if one were to informally list some of her many qualities as a person and scientist, they would include the following: friendly, humble, private, hard working, inspiring, dedicated, inquisitive, tireless, professional, adventurous, courteous, versatile, pioneering, encouraging, generous, supportive, helpful and always optimistic. Born in Poland in 1932, she completed her academic degrees from the University of Bonn and later became affiliated with the University of Tuebingen, both in Germany. Growing up and throughout her life, she was particularly fond of people, cultures, music and traveling-especially by train, which she did in China and from India to Germany. Being interested in different scientific disciplines from a very young age, she pursued studies and research in geology, vertebrate paleontology and Paleolithic archaeology. Although her doctoral dissertation was on Jurassic Ammonites in France, she later began working on aspects of vertebrate paleontology and Paleolithic archaeology in various parts of Africa, India, Nepal and Tibet. Unfortunately and strangely, she often did not receive credit for her individual efforts or received belated professional recognition (see Goren-Inbar and Sharon, 2006; Rajaguru et al., 2006).