Mike Archer (paleontologist)
Michael Archer AM ( born March 25, 1945 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian palaeontologist who became known primarily for his discoveries of mammal fossils in the Riversleigh Fossil formation and other deposits.
Life and work
Archer was born in Sydney and grew up in the United States. After a Biology and Geology studies at Princeton University in New Jersey, he graduated in 1967 as Bachelor of Arts. In 1976, he earned his PhD at the University of Western Australia. From 1967 to 1968 he received a Fulbright Scholarship for his paleontological research at the Western Australian Museum in Perth. From 1968 to 1971 he conducted research at the Australian Research Council. From 1972 to 1978 he was curator of the mammal department in the Queensland Museum. From 1978 to 1980 he was a lecturer at the School of Biological Science, University of New South Wales. From 1985 to 1989 he was associate professor and he was appointed professor at the University of New South Wales in 1989. From 1999 to 2004 he was Director of the Australian Museum. In 2002, Archer made headlines with the announcement to clone from the DNA of an embryo preserved in alcohol the extinct thylacine. This project proved to be a failure, however, and therefore was reinstated in 2005. In 1986 he founded the Riversleigh Society, on whose efforts the Riversleigh formation was declared in 1994 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Archer is a staunch critic of creationism.
At Archers discoveries and scientific first descriptions include the fossil genera Obdurodon, Australonycteris, Steropodon, Namilamadeta and Yalkaparidon.