Yale Bulletin and Calendar

August 26, 2005|Volume 34, Number 1

John H. Ostrom

In Memoriam: John Ostrom

He revolutionized field of paleontology

Professor John H. Ostrom, considered one of the most influential figures in 20th-century dinosaur paleontology, died at The Sarah Pierce Assisted Living Community in Litchfield, Connecticut, on July 16 of complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Ostrom was professor emeritus of geology and geophysics and curator emeritus of paleontology at the Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Ostrom is best known for his discovery in Montana in 1964 of Deinonychus, a small two-legged carnivorous dinosaur whose name means "terrible claw," and for his controversial theory that Deinonychus may have been a warm-blooded dinosaur. This theory, published in 1969, contradicted the earlier belief held by scientists that all dinosaur species were cold-blooded.

Ostrom is also known for having reintroduced an idea first put forth a century ago that birds are the most logical descendents of the dinosaurs. His interest in the dinosaur-bird connection and the origin of flight started with his osteological study of what is now known as the Haarlem Archaeopteryx, the earliest known fossil bird. The specimen was discovered in 1885 but labeled Pterodactylus crassipes. In 1970 Ostrom correctly identified it as the fourth known specimen of Archaeopteryx.

Seeking to further his developing theory on the theropod origin of birds, Ostrom headed for Wyoming and Montana where late Cretaceous rock was exposed. The fossil record for that period of geological time was very sparce, and he believed filling in the gaps would help support his theory, one first proposed a full century earlier by Thomas Henry Huxley and held as well by Othneil Charles Marsh, the first professor of vertebrate paleontology at Yale and the first curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Peabody Museum.

It was in 1964 in the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation of Montana that Ostrom and his field assistant Grant Meyer discovered the specimen he later named Deinonychus antirrhopus. It has been hailed as one of the most important fossil finds in history. His landmark 1969 monograph described Deinonychus as a raptor and active predator that killed its prey by leaping and slashing with its "terrible claw."

Ostrom's conclusions about Deinonychus were considered revolutionary. First, he presented Deinonychus as warm-blooded with a high metabolic rate. Furthermore, he argued that dinosaurs have more in common with big non-flying birds than with lizards. In 1973 he concluded that Deinonychus and other bipedal theropod dinosaurs, a group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor, are the ancestors of all birds.

His theories were initially derided by many fellow paleontologists. Some 30 years later, the discovery of feathered dinosaurs in China finally validated Ostrom's findings. The Yale professor said he was awestruck by the discovery: "I never expected to see anything like this in my lifetime. I literally got weak in the knees when I first saw photos. The apparent covering on this dinosaur is unlike anything we have seen anywhere in the world before -- quite different from modern feathers or hair, but also different from the skin of other dinosaurs."

Ostrom presided over a 1999 symposium at Yale on theropod phylogeny and avian origins, which was held in his honor. The Yale scientist had a crucial influence on a generation of dinosaur paleontologists, including most notably, his former student Robert Bakker. Experts in his field credit him with the modern worldwide interest in dinosaurs and a scientific perspective that has forever changed the field of paleontology.

Born in 1928 in New York City and raised in Schenectady, New York, Ostrom was introduced to the science of paleontology as an undergraduate at Union College, where he started his studies as a pre-med student. An elective in geology that he took as an upperclassman effectively changed his life. His fascination with the portion of the course devoted to paleontology was so great that he extended his undergraduate career in order to fulfill the credits for his new major in geology, a field in which he excelled immediately.

He graduated from Union in 1951, and in 1960 received a Ph.D. in geology and vertebrate paleontology at Columbia University. He joined the Yale faculty in 1961, serving in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and at the Peabody Museum until his retirement in 1992. He was also an editor of the American Journal of Science and received numerous awards for his work, including the Alexander von Humboldt Medal from West Germany, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Hayden Memorial Geological Award of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Ostrom was the husband of the late Nancy (Hartman) Ostrom, who died in 2003. He is survived by two daughters, Karen Ostrom of Goshen, Connecticut, and Alicia Linstead of Larkspur, California; and three grandchildren, Jennifer Williams of Goshen, and Mackenzie and Phoebe Linstead of Larkspur.

A memorial service will held at Yale during the upcoming academic year.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Margaret Grey is named dean of School of Nursing

Benson to step down as dean of School of Art after this year

Team discovers new planet in the outer solar system

Grant will fund center for study of nervous system

Study: Alligator eggs show effect of oxygen on development

Yale Librarian Prochaska appointed to a second term

New master's program prepares nurses for leadership roles

Exhibit explores the 18th-century 'worlds' of Francis Wheatley

Private portrait miniatures showcase the faces of public figures

Gallery hosting festive open house . . .

Architecture gallery to feature traveling art show 'Ant Farm'

Sterling Library launches new academic year with two exhibits

Researchers create powerful tool for decoding gene functions

Galapagos tortoises more diverse than once believed, say scientists

Team identifies 'signatures' of protons in water

'Canary Database' shows animals offer health warnings for humans

Team digitally reconstructs long-extinct 'Lamp Shell'

'Gene trapping' reveals how flower development is controlled

Discovery may aid development of treatment for melanoma

Drinking alcohol may lower risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Lyme disease prevention program launched in Connecticut

For 35 students, summer was a time of service in New Haven

IN MEMORIAM

John Ostrom: He revolutionized field of paleontology

Robert Abelson: Psychologist was adviser to presidential candidates

Greer Allen: University printer was inspiration to School of Art students