The Evolutionary Bridge: Theodosius Dobzhansky

Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900–1975) resolved one of the greatest scientific crises of the twentieth century. Born in Tsarist Russia and forged in the revolutionary laboratories of America, Dobzhansky was the architect of the Modern Synthesis, the sweeping intellectual achievement that finally brought Darwin's natural selection into quantitative harmony with Mendel's genetics. This comprehensive biography traces his journey from field naturalist to global scientific leader, detailing the critical fieldwork with Drosophila that proved evolution operates in real time. It illuminates his crucial role as the unifier between laboratory science and natural history, and explores his intense collaborations with figures like Sturtevant and Lewontin. More than a scientist, Dobzhansky was a profound humanist. The book delves into his lifelong struggle to reconcile his Russian Orthodox faith with evolutionary materialism and documents his powerful, pioneering critiques of scientific racism and eugenics, culminating in his seminal work Mankind Evolving. Through detailed analysis, archival material, and personal anecdotes, this is the story of a towering figure whose concepts—from balancing selection to the biological species concept—remain the indispensable foundation for genomics, conservation biology, and our ultimate understanding of what it means to be human. Approx.160 pages, 32700 word count