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Mary Anning Paleontology’s Enigmatic First Lady

Mary Anning Paleontology’s Enigmatic First Lady. Raquel Eriz. Mary Anning. http://www.jurassiccoast.com/media/images/n/7/MaryAnning_large.jpg. Basics. Born in 1799 in Lyme Regis Father died in 1810, leaving Mary and her family without a provider

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Mary Anning Paleontology’s Enigmatic First Lady

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  1. Mary AnningPaleontology’s Enigmatic First Lady Raquel Eriz

  2. Mary Anning http://www.jurassiccoast.com/media/images/n/7/MaryAnning_large.jpg

  3. Basics • Born in 1799 in Lyme Regis • Father died in 1810, leaving Mary and her family without a provider • Mary supposedly sold her first fossil at age twelve by chance • Difficult for Mary to earn a living as a woman during Regency and Early Victorian times

  4. Lyme Regis http://www.swgfl.org.uk/jurassic/lymepics/lym1big.jpg

  5. Favorable Circumstances • Lyme Regis developed into a summer vacation town for aristocratic society • The geology of Lyme Regis is very favorable, with exposed Jurassic beds • Geological crossroads, allowing Mary to come into contact with other successful paleontologists

  6. Three Major Contacts • William Buckland: eventual first Professor of Geology at Oxford • Sir Henry De La Beche: eventual first director of British Geological Survey • William Coneybeare: key figure in development of the Geological Society of London

  7. William Buckland http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/jpg/buckland.jpg

  8. Challenging the Mainstream • Her marine reptiles were strong evidence for Cuvier’s theories • Shocked public accustomed to thinking the world was created in 4004 B.C. • She did not let her own work sway her from religious beliefs

  9. Mary’s Decline • Mary’s fame eventually subsided • Little documentation regarding her life and work • She never wrote scientific papers • The Church of England made efforts to stifle work like Mary’s • Scholarly subscriptions were expensive, so only aristocratic men had access to new scientific discoveries • Only now are researchers shedding light on her life and person

  10. Quotations • “She is a history and a mystery.” –Mary (Molly) Anning, mother • “She glories in being afraid of no one and saying everything she pleases.” –Anna Maria Piney • “…a prim, pedantic, vinegar looking, thin female, shrewd and rather satirical in her conversation.” –Gideon Mantell

  11. Five Major Finds • Ichthyosaurus: first complete skeleton

  12. Plesiosaurus

  13. Pterodactylus macronyx • Squaloraja polyspondyla • Plesiosaurus macrocephalus http://www.cs.umd.edu/fs/www/users/sen/pics/Kinshuk%20in%20DC/slides/pterodactyl.jpg

  14. Mary’s End • Survived on financial aid from the government, British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of London • Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1846 • Died Tuesday, March 9, 1847

  15. End

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