September 20 saw academician, member of the American Academy of Sciences and professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) J. William (Bill) Schopf bring his lecture entitled “Discovery of Darwin’s’ Missing’ Fossil Record-A Paradigm Shift in the History of Science” to SUSTech. Our faculty and students were spellbound by his special lecture.

J. William Schopf focuses on evolutionary biology, organic geochemistry, biochemical evolution, paleobotany, and palynology. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Academy of Academic Achievements in 1980 and the Mary Clark Thompson Medal of the American Academy of Sciences in 1986. In 2006, he received the American Botanical Society Centennial Botanist Award, and in 2013 the American Academy of Sciences awarded him the Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal.

In the lecture, Schopf recommended Thomas S. Kuhn’s classic book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” to the students and faculty members. He took the Darwinian theory of evolution and the confirmation process as an example to describe the transformation of the thinking mode of modern scientific development (paradigm shift). Schopf said that he used new techniques such as sub-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and isotope analysis to provide more direct evidence for distinguishing between organisms and abiotics.

After the lecture, Schopf reviewed his early research history and answered questions from teachers and students with good humor. He also encouraged students to have foresight and innovation in scientific development.