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See also: born at Bonsyde, See also: Linlithgowshire, on the 5th of See also: March 183o, and was educated at
See also: Edinburgh University
.
In 185o he was appointed lecturer in, and in 1851 professor of, botany at See also: Aberdeen, and in 1853 he became professor of natural See also: history in See also: Queen's See also: College, See also: Cork
.
A See also: year later he was nominated to the chair of See also: mineralogy and geology at Queen's College, See also: Belfast, and in 186o was transferred to the chair of natural history in the same institution
.
In 1868 he assumed the duties of professor of botany at the Royal College of Science, See also: Dublin, and finally in 187o he received the natural history chair at Edinburgh
.
He will be specially remembered as a student of the biological conditions of the depths of the See also: sea
.
Being interested in crinoids, and stimulated by the results of the dredgings of Michael Saes (ISo5–1869) in the deep sea off the See also: Norwegian coasts, he succeeded, along with Dr W
.
B
.
See also: Carpenter, in obtaining the loan of H.M.S
.
" See also: Lightning " and " Porcupine," for successive deep-sea dredging expeditions in the summers of 1868 and 1869
.
It was thus shown that animal See also: life exists in abundance down to depths of 65o fathoms, that all invertebrate See also: groups are represented (largely by See also: Tertiary forms previously believed to be See also: extinct), and, moreover, that deep-sea temperatures are by no means so See also: constant as was supposed, but vary considerably, and indicate an oceanic circulation
.
The results of these expeditions were described in The Depths of the Sea, which he published in 1873
.
The remarkable results gained for hydrography as well as zoology, in association with the See also: practical needs of ocean telegraphy, soon led to the granting of H.M.S
.
" Challenger" for a circumnavigating expedition, and See also: Thomson sailed at the end of 1872 as director of the scientific staff, the cruise lasting three years and a See also: half (see CHALLENGER EXPEDITION)
.
On his return he received many See also: academic honours, and was knighted
.
In 1877 he published two volumes (The Voyage of the Challenger in the See also: Atlantic), of a preliminary account of the results of the voyage, meanwhile carrying on his administrative labours in connexion with the disposition of the See also: special collections and the publication of the monographs dealing with them
.
His See also: health. never robust, was meanwhile giving way; from 1879 he ceased to perform the duties of his chair; and he died at Bonsyde on the loth of March 1882
.
See obituary See also: notice in Proc
.
See also: Soc
.
Edin
.
(1883); also Thomson and See also: Murray, Reports of the Voyage of H.M.S
.
"Challenger" (Edinburgh
.
1885)
.
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