1858-1940

Dutch anatomist and paleoanthropologist who discovered the first fossils belonging to a direct ancestor of modern humans. Dubois was seeking Darwin's "missing link" on the island of Java, hence "Java man," the common name of his find. Dubois named his discovery Pithecanthropus erectus, which was later reclassified as Homo erectus. Dubois's work reflected two contemporary theories, that upright posture was of primary importance in human evolution and that the East Indies, not Africa, was the site of humankind's origins.