Professor Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (March 5th, 1830 - March 10th, 1882), Professor of Zoology and chief scientist on the Challenger expedition. March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A professor is a senior teacher and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... Zoology (Greek zoon = animal and logos = word) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... The Challenger Expedition was a scientific expedition that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. ...

Career

A prominent Scottish naturalist, Wyville-Thomson was born at Bonsyde, Linlithgowshire, on March 5th, 1830, and was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1850 he was appointed lecturer in, and in 1851 professor of, botany at the University of Aberdeen. In 1853 he became professor of natural history in Queen's College, Cork. A year later he was nominated to the chair of mineralogy and geology at Queen's University of Belfast, and in 1860 was transferred to the chair of natural history at the same institution. In 1868 he assumed the duties of professor of botany at the Royal College of Science, Dublin, and finally in 1870 he received the natural history chair at the University of Edinburgh. Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country or nation and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. ... -1... West Lothian or Linlithgowshire is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. ... The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 as a renowned centre for teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Lecturer is the name given to university teachers in most of the English-speaking world (but not at most universities in the US or Canada) who do not hold a professorship. ... Events January 23 - The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in Oregon is named after Boston, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, with Portland winning. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... University of Aberdeen Motto: Initium sapientiae timor domini (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom) Logo © University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen is a university in Aberdeen, Scotland, founded by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen in 1495 as Kings College. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as a number of distinct scientific disciplines. ... University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork - or more commonly University College Cork (UCC) - is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland located in Cork. ... Typical Western wooden chair A chair is a piece of furniture consisting of a seat, legs, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person. ... Mineralogy is an earth science that involves the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... The Queens University of Belfast Queens University, Belfast (QUB) - or officially The Queens University of Belfast - is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Royal College of Science was a constituent part of Imperial College, London, based in South Kensington. ... Dublins Hapenny Bridge. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Interests

Wyville Thomson is remembered for his studies of the biological conditions of the deep seas. Being interested in crinoids, and prompted by the results of the dredgings of Michael Sars in the deep sea off the Norwegian coasts, he persuaded the Royal Navy to grant him use of HMS Lightning and HMS Porcupine for deep sea dredging expeditions in the summers of 1868 and 1869. They showed that animal life existed down to depths of 650 fathoms (1200m), that all marine invertebrate groups are present at this depth, and that deep-sea temperatures are not as constant as had been supposed, but vary considerably, and indicate oceanic circulation. These results were described in The Depths of the Sea, which he published in 1873. Marine biology is the study of animal and plant life within saltwater ecosystems. ... Orders Articulata Cladida (extinct) Flexibilia (extinct) Camerada (extinct) Disparida (extinct) Crinoids, also known as sea lilies or feather-stars, are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms (phylum Echinodermata). ... A dredge is a small waterborne craft used to remove sediment from the bottoms of rivers and harbors. ... Norway - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Ten ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Lightning. ... This page deals with fathom, a unit of measure. ... Invertebrate is a term coined by Chevalier de Lamarck to describe any animal without a backbone or vertebra, like insects, squids and worms. ... The thermohaline circulation is a term for the global density-driven circulation of the oceans. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Challenger Expedition

The remarkable hydrographic and zoological results which Wyville Thomson had demonstrated, in addition to the growing demands of ocean telegraphy, soon led to the Royal Navy to grant use of HMS Challenger for a global expedition. Wyville Thomson was selected as chief scientist, and the ship sailed on December 23rd, 1872. A detailed description of the voyage is available on the Challenger expedition page. Hydrography is the measurement of physical characteristics of waters and marginal land. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... The Challenger Expedition was a scientific expedition that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Challenger Expedition was a scientific expedition that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. ...

Aftermath

The Challenger Expedition was deemed a great success, and on his return Wyville Thomson received a number of academic honors, as well as a knighthood. In 1877 he published two volumes, The Voyage of the Challenger in the Atlantic, a preliminary account of the results of the voyage. He spent the next two years working on administrative duties connected with the publication of the full monograph of the voyage. Wyville Thomson had a highly strung mentality, and his health was generally poor throughout his life. He found dealing with publishers over the requirements of publishing 50 fifty volumes of detailed illustration and scientific description enormously stressful. In 1879 he ceased to perform his university duties, gave up overseeing the reports of the expedition in 1881, took to his bed and died a broken man at Bonsyde on the 10th of March, 1882. The publishing was finally completed by his friend and colleague Sir John Murray. A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... Sir John Murray (March 3, 1841 _ March 16, 1914), pioneering Scots_Canadian oceanographer and marine biologist. ...

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ...