Peter and Rosemary. Rosemary and Peter. Like that, in pairs. In science and in life. In memories and in reality. I have known ‘Los Grant’ – as we called them in Galapagos – for as long as I can remember. They have been quietly studying Darwin’s finches in Daphne Major, an islet in the central part of the archipelago, close to Baltra airport; the airport that services the economic hub of Galapagos and the place I used to call home. I have been to their informative talks over the years, but having them here, in Darwin, was just the sweet cherry on top. CDU Darwin Scholars that really live up to the name.
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| Photo credit: Prof. Simon Maddocks |
Peter and Rosemary have spent forty years doing fieldwork in Galapagos, spending six months of the year each year capturing, tagging, and taking blood samples of the finches on the island. They have spent so much time on the island that they know the birds on a personal basis. The birds’ know them too, with one of them happily following Rosemary around while she untied birds from mist nets. They have developed a ‘network’ of friends on Daphne Major and upon returning every year they could see which friend/finch is still around. They have given each of their birds’ unique numbers and identifiable coloured bands, which is how they knew that cactus finch #4706 (Geospiza scandens) had lived to the ripe old age of 17 years old.
Back in 1973 when they started their work on Daphne Major, they must have thought that this was the kind of work that could define their lives. So they came back to it – same study site, same method, same measurements, same strict protocols to be followed. And lots of foresight and ever increasing enthusiasm that led to new discoveries, new questions and new findings. Findings that proved that evolution can be observed and measured in our life time. They provided empirical evidence that “the origin of the species by means of natural selection or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life” – a theory proposed by Charles Darwin over one hundred years ago – was happening in real time on a tiny little island in the middle of the Pacific. They actually saw evolution!
However, their findings were not just scientific. They also discovered that their two daughters would happily leave teenage summers of civilization to accompany them to Galapagos. To read. To sleep in a tent. To wash in the sea. To read a book aloud over a boiling pot of tea. To be a family. To be a team.
In true team spirit, Peter took sabbatical leave to take care of the house and the girls whilst Rosemary got her research together and was awarded a PhD when she was 49 years old. I will be 47 when I hope to be awarded mine, I like the symmetry between our two stories. Talking about Rosemary getting her PhD, she quipped “It is typical of women, they never go in a straight line, they go like this (indicates a winding path)” in which each turn and twist mean a child, an altruistic decision, a selfish one too. As Peter quipped, “Rosemary has played an extremely important role in science”. She has indeed for me at least. She has become my new role model. I know now that I can do it, and I can excel at it too while being a mom, a wife, a friend and a woman.
Veronica
Rosemary and Peter met in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia, where Peter was doing his PhD and Rosemary had been offered a position as a Research Associate. Peter walked out of his office at the university holding a pair of skis he had just purchased from his land lady, and saw his supervisor Mary walking towards him with another woman who was introduced to him as Rosemary. The very first thing that Rosemary said to Peter was: “Those skis are too short for you”. He retorted, with surprise, “No they are not” and Rosemary replied, very sure of herself, “Yes, they are.” Peter replied “No they are not, I know because my land lady just gave them to me”. Rosemary replied, “Yes, they are. You have to put your arm in the air, like this, and the top of the skis should touch your hand”, and Rosemary demonstrated by putting her arm in the air with her palm facing the ground. Peter was sure she had no idea what she was talking about and so put his arm in the air and rested the skis against it. The skis reached only halfway up his forearm. Rosemary smiled, “Yes, see, too short for you. But they will fit me. How much did you pay for them?” and Peter replied “8 dollars”, with mounting surprise. Rosemary happily handed over $8, took the skis and walked on down the corridor with Mary. Peter returned to his office, in a state of shock, and thought “Well then. I’ve lost my skis but at least I still have the poles I got for my original $8!”
Two months later and Peter and Rosemary were boyfriend and girlfriend. He had to buy another pair of skis for himself and more poles to go with Rosemary’s skis.
Peter and Rosemary have been together for so long that they live together, work together and even finish each other’s sentences, in almost perfect harmony. They are a force to be reckoned with and are inspiring on so many levels – from not only their commitment to their work and to science but most importantly their commitment, love and care for each other.
Jennifer
[Original text published in Flycatcher Magazine - http://online.anyflip.com/rnlo/wilf/#p=16]
Flycatcher Editor’s note: Veronica Toral-Granda and Jennifer Macdonald were lucky enough to have a conversation with Emeritus Professors Rosemary and Peter Grant from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University in New Jersey, who were the 2016 Charles Darwin Scholars from Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
