Description: (Canadian Paleontologist Who Worked Primarily on Mammal Fossils)
William Diller Matthew, a notable paleontologist, was acclaimed for his research on human origins and evolution. Contrary to the theory of continental drift, he proposed that organisms dispersed primarily as a result of climate change. In his influential 1915 article titled "Climate and evolution," Matthew suggested that the distribution of living mammals could be elucidated by cyclical global climate changes and mammalian dispersal patterns. He postulated that modern humans and other mammals originated in northern regions, particularly central Asia, due to the fluctuating climatic conditions. Matthew further conducted research in Asia as part of the Central Asiatic expeditions.