2021/2023

The Importance of Measurement Theory in Paleobiology

Natural Sciences

Principal investigators

Kjetil Voje

Researcher
University of Oslo (UiO)
Year at CAS

Abstract

How do we know Mount Everest is taller than K2, or that the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has been increasing for decades? Measurement – the act of assigning numbers to entities we intend to study – is a crucial part of any quantitative science. Measurement theory is a branch of applied mathematics that provides guidance on how to extract meaning from empirical observations. However, and despite its critical role for conducting good science, measurement theory remains, to a large extent, unknown in large parts of biology, including the field of paleobiology. Paleobiology applies quantitative analyses on data from the fossil record to describe and explain the origin, loss and evolution of biodiversity on Earth.

This Young CAS Fellow project will bring together a team of international early-career evolutionary biologists and paleobiologists interested in measurement theory. The aims of the project are to (i) recognize specific aspects of measurement theory that are relevant for the quantitative study of the fossil record, (ii) identify key studies within paleobiology where violations of measurement theoretical principles compromise their meaning, and (iii) write a perspective/review paper that introduces measurement theory to a paleobiological audience.

Fellows

Mark Grabowski

Senior Lecturer
Liverpool John Moores University
Year at CAS
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James Saulsbury

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Oslo (UiO)
Year at CAS
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Jostein Starrfelt

Researcher
Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Year at CAS

Marion Thaureau

Doctoral Research Fellow
University of Oslo (UiO)
Year at CAS

News

This year's Young CAS Fellowships were awarded to researchers from four different disciplines: medieval philology, ancient history, geometry and evolutionary theory.