- Richard Fortey
Richard A. Fortey FRS (born 1946 in
London ) is a Britishpaleontologist and writer.Richard Fortey studied Geology at the
University of Cambridge and had a long career as a paleontologist at theNatural History Museum in London. [ [http://www.geo365.no/news/Richard_Fortey/] ] Prof. Fortey’s research interests include, above all,trilobite s. He has stated that he found his first one when he was 14, and the interest later turned into a career. He has named numerous trilobite species and still continues his research despite having retired from the Museum.Fortey studies trilobites andgraptolite s, especially those from theOrdovician , and their systematics,evolution and modes of life. He is also involved in research on Ordovicianpalaeogeography and correlation;arthropod evolution, especially the origin of major groups; and the relationships between divergence times as revealed by molecular evidence and thefossil record.In 1993, Fortey's "The Hidden Landscape" was named the
Natural World Book of the Year . Since 1997, he has been a member of theRoyal Society . was short-listed for the Rhône-Poulenc Prize in 1998; "Trilobite!" was short-listed for theSamuel Johnson Prize in 2001. He was Collier Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Technology at the Institute of Advanced Studies in 2002. He has won theLewis Thomas Prize for science writing (2003) and is the 2006 holder of the Royal Society'sMichael Faraday Prize for the public communication of science. He has also turned his pen to writing dinosaur poems for children and even a spoof book on the rubic cube.Professor Fortey has been elected President of the Geological Society of London for its bicentennial year of 2007 and was recently awarded an honorary degree by the
University of St Andrews .TV
He appeared on
BBC Two 's "University Challenge - The Professionals" in 2004, as a member of the Palaeontological Association team, who beat theEden Project .He was also one of the scientists who worked on theDiscovery Channel programThe Future Is Wild .Books
* "The Hidden Landscape" (1993)
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* "Trilobite!: Eyewitness to Evolution" (2000)
* "Fossils: The Key to the Past" (2002)
* "The Earth: An Intimate History" (2004)
* [http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307263629 "Dry Store Room no.1" (2008)]External links
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