Davidson Black

Davidson Black was educated in medicine and anatomy at the University of Toronto. Fascinated by comparative anatomy and human evolutionary origins, Black accepted an appointment in 1919 as professor of neurology and embryology at the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China.

Convinced that human evolution originated in central Asia, Black organized Rockefeller-funded excavations at Zhoukoudian caves in 1927. From a single fossilized hominid molar tooth, Black boldly named a new early hominid species, Sinanthropus pekinensis ("Peking Man"), later confirmed by his team's discovery of complete skulls in 1929. He died at his desk with a fossil skull in his hands.