12 Facts About Bernhard Rensch

Bernhard Rensch was a German evolutionary biologist and ornithologist who did field work in Indonesia and India.

Bernhard Rensch served in the German army from 1917 to 1920 and began to observe natural phenomena while he was held prisoner in France.

Bernhard Rensch took an interest in the philosophy of science and was fascinated by Theodor Ziehen.

Bernhard Rensch studied expressionist painting and in later life examined the biological roots of art.

Bernhard Rensch joined the zoological museum of the University of Berlin as an assistant in 1925.

Bernhard Rensch studied the geographical distribution of subspecies of polytypic species and of complexes of closely related species with attention to how local environmental factors, especially climate, influenced their evolution.

Bernhard Rensch's work in this area would influence Ernst Mayr, who was an assistant at the museum from 1927 to 1930, and would contribute to the development of the modern evolutionary synthesis.

Bernhard Rensch introduced the concept of Artenkreis.

Bernhard Rensch wrote on human behaviour and he suggested that the human evolutionary connection with organisms would lead to sympathy.

Bernhard Rensch published an autobiography in 1979 and remained scientifically active until his death in 1990.

Bernhard Rensch was responsible for naming Allen's Rule and Gloger's Rule, and proposed what is called Rensch's rule in 1950.

Bernhard Rensch was awarded the Linnean Society of London's prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal in 1958.