biology

Nils Heribert-Nilsson

Nils Heribert-Nilsson is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nils Heribert-Nilsson rather than just read about it. In short: Nils Heribert-Nilsson (26 May 1883 in Skivarp, Scania – 3 August 1955) was a Swedish botanist and geneticist. Heribert-Nilsson received his Ph.D. at Lund University in 1915 with the thesis Die Spaltungserscheinungen der Oenothera lamarckiana.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Nils Heribert-Nilsson (26 May 1883 in Skivarp, Scania – 3 August 1955) was a Swedish botanist and geneticist. Heribert-Nilsson received his Ph.D. at Lund University in 1915 with the thesis Die Spaltungserscheinungen der Oenothera lamarckiana. From 1934 to 1948 he was professor of botany, in particular systematics, morphology and plant geography, at Lund University. Heribert-Nilsson was active in plant breeding. His most important research concerned Salix and its taxonomy, which is complicated by frequent hybridization. Among his research on Salix was hybridization studies on Salix viminalis and Salix caprea. In 1943 he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Emication In 1953, Heribert-Nilsson published his most voluminous work Synthetische Artbildung ("Synthetic speciation"). In a review for Science, Joel Hedgpeth summarizes the thesis of the "elegantly printed two-volume opus" as follows:

The concept of evolution as a continuously flowing process can be proved only on Lamarckian lines, since "evolution and Lamarckism are inseparable because they include the same fundamental ideas." There is no proof from the data of genetic recombinations or mutations to support the generally accepted concept of evolution; therefore, evolution is not occurring at this time. Nor does it seem to have occurred in the past, since the fossil record is the result of piling up and preservation of world biota during the periods when the nearness of the moon induced tremendous tidal action (the "Tethys sea") and freezing at high latitudes because of the pulling of air toward the equator hastened such preservation. During these revolutionary periods there was resynthesis of the entire world biota by gene material or gametes along the same basic lines (hence, there is no point to phylogenies, since the similarities of organic life are due to the synthetic activity of similar "gametes"); this process is termed "emication". Oblivious to continental drift (not a commonly accepted theory at the time), Heribert-Nilsson invokes tremendous tsunamis for the fact that many fossil floras, such as that of the London Clay, consist of species whose modern relatives live in tropical countries far removed from the site of deposition, as G. Ledyard Stebbins writes in an article for The Quarterly Review of Biology in 1955. According to Stebbins Heribert-Nilsson's final line of "evidence" against evolution consists of an attempt to criticise certain basic principles of genetics, particularly the linear order of the genes on the chromosomes.

Selected publications Die Spaltungserscheinungen der Oenothera lamarckiana, Ph.D. Thesis, 1915. Experimentelle Studien über Variabilität, Spaltung, Artbildung und Evolution in der Gattung Salix, 1918. Synthetische Bastardierungsversuche in der Gattung Salix, 1930. Linné, Darwin, Mendel: trenne biografiska skisser ("Linnaeus, Darwin, Mendel: three biographic sketches"), popular science, 1930. Der Entwicklungsgedanke und die moderne Biologie ("The development thought and modern biology"), 1941. Synthetische Artbildung: Grundlinien einer exakten Biologie, 2 vols., 1953.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nils Heribert-Nilsson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nils Heribert-Nilsson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nils Heribert-Nilsson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nils Heribert-Nilsson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nils Heribert-Nilsson

In research: Nils Heribert-Nilsson appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nils Heribert-Nilsson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nils Heribert-Nilsson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1883 births, 1955 deaths, 20th-century Swedish botanists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nils Heribert-Nilsson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nils Heribert-Nilsson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Nils Heribert-Nilsson in simple terms?

Why does Nils Heribert-Nilsson matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nils Heribert-Nilsson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nils Heribert-Nilsson.