Tilly Edinger

Tilly Edinger is credited with establishing the entirely new scientific field of paleoneurology, which is the study of brain evolution through fossils. In 1929, she published her groundbreaking study Die fossilen Gehirne (Fossil Brains), mapping brain evolution by examining fossilized braincases.

Because she was Jewish, Edinger lost her museum position following the rise of the Nazi regime in the 1930s. With the help of international colleagues, she managed to emigrate to the United States in 1940, eventually securing a prominent position at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.

While her foundational research covered a wide array of fossils, she became particularly well-known for her studies on marine reptiles and mammalian brain casts. Her meticulous work demonstrated that brains leave distinct impressions on the inside of skulls, allowing scientists to infer the neurological structure of extinct species.

After fleeing Europe, she spent the remainder of her career working at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Her research there significantly advanced the understanding of vertebrate brain evolution and helped establish paleoneurology as a recognized discipline in American academia.