Ruth D. Turner, a Harvard professor, author, curator and diver who became one of the world’s leading experts in the species of mollusks that devour wooden piers and sunken ships, died on April 30 at a nursing home in Waltham, Mass. She was 85.

What did Ruth Turner study?

She first trained and worked as a teacher, but her interest in natural history led her to study ornithology, first at Cornell and then at Harvard, where she earned her doctorate in biology from Radcliffe in 1954.

What advancements did Ruth Turner make in aquatic science?

Ruth Turner (1915-2000) Ruth has published over 200 scientific articles, and a book. Turner specialized in shipworm research. Ruth Turner was the first female marine biologist to make use of Alvin, a deep ocean research submarine.

What did ruth Turner discover?

She taught at Harvard but carried out research all over the world, working with wood-boring mollusks, such as shipworms. In the late 1970s after the discovery of hydrothermal vents she was the first woman to dive in the deep submergence vehicle Alvin, which she kept on doing for the next couple of decades.

What happened to Ruth Mallory?

After the death of her father in 1937 the house was sold and Ruth lived with a cousin. In 1939 Ruth married her friend Will Arnold-Forster after the death of his wife. Clare Millikan reported that her mother was “glowingly happy” but sadly she died of cancer in 1942.

What is Ruth Turner known for?

Ruth Dixon Turner (1914 – April 30, 2000) was a pioneering U.S. marine biologist and malacologist. She was the world’s expert on Teredinidae or shipworms, a taxonomic family of wood-boring bivalve mollusks which severely damage wooden marine installations.

Was Irvine’s body ever found?

Whether they reached the summit has never been established. They never returned to their camp and died somewhere high on the mountain. The discovery of Mallory’s body in 1999, with its severe rope jerk injury about his waist, suggests the two were roped when they fell. Irvine’s body has never been discovered.

Did Irvine kill Mallory?

It probably killed Mallory and Irvine. There was an 18mbar drop in barometric pressure at Base Camp during this storm. This huge drop suggests that the conditions during their summit attempt were much more severe than originally assumed and therefore the appalling weather may well have contributed to their deaths.

Who is the father of marine biology?

naturalist Edward Forbes
The British naturalist Edward Forbes (1815–1854) is generally regarded as the founder of the science of marine biology. The pace of oceanographic and marine biology studies quickly accelerated during the course of the 19th century.

Who was Ruth Turner and what did she do?

Ruth Turner. Ruth Dixon Turner (1914 – April 30, 2000) was a pioneering U.S. marine biologist and malacologist who became the world’s expert on Teredinidae or shipworms, a taxonomic family of wood-boring bivalve mollusks which severely damage wooden marine installations.

How old is Ruth Dixon Turner of Harvard?

Turner, 82, is a professor of biology, emeritus, in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, curator in malacology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), and a world-renowned marine biologist.

What did Ruth Turner write about the Teredinidae?

Her 1966 book A survey and illustrated catalogue of the Teredinidae (Mollusca: BivaIvia) was widely acclaimed as the most important book about shipworms. She was a mentor to many upcoming marine biologists. The Ernst Mayr Library’s Special Collections has hundreds of recommendation letters that she wrote for graduate students.

Who was the first female marine biologist in the world?

Ruth Turner was the first female marine biologist to make use of Alvin, a deep ocean research submarine. Charles Thompson (1830-1882) He was a Scottish marine biologist, who was the chief scientist on the Challenger Expedition. Charles Thompson specialized in the field of deep sea biological conditions.