Georges Cuvier (Baron)

Georges Cuvier was a pivotal French naturalist and zoologist who established the foundational principles of comparative anatomy and paleontology. Through his meticulous comparison of living organisms with fossil records, he significantly advanced the classification of life, integrating both extinct and extant species. Cuvier's rigorous work also firmly established the scientific reality of extinction, overcoming contemporary skepticism, and he became a leading proponent of catastrophism in geology. His enduring influence lies in his systematic approach to understanding the history of life on Earth through the study of fossils and geological strata.