E. W. (Ernest William) MacBride

Born in 1866, Ernest William MacBride was a British biologist whose work focused on zoology, embryology, and evolution. He studied at St John's College, Cambridge, and later became known for research on marine animals and early development, especially echinoderms such as sea urchins.

MacBride held academic posts including professor of zoology at McGill University and later at Imperial College London. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, a sign of the respect he earned for his scientific work.

He is remembered not only for careful experimental research but also for his outspoken views on evolution. At a time when genetics was reshaping biology, MacBride remained a prominent defender of Lamarckian ideas, arguing that acquired characteristics could play a role in evolution. He died in 1940, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both the strengths and the debates of biology in his era.