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KielanJaworowska

Kielan-Jaworowska, often cited as Zina Kielan-Jaworowska, was a Polish paleontologist (1921–2007) renowned for her work on Mesozoic mammals. She spent much of her career at the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and became a leading figure in international paleontology through extensive fieldwork in Mongolia.

Beginning in the 1960s, she co-led Polish–Mongolian expeditions to the Gobi Desert, a collaboration that produced

Kielan-Jaworowska published extensively in scientific journals and edited or co-edited monographs on Mesozoic mammals, reinforcing the

a
wealth
of
fossil
material
crucial
to
understanding
mammalian
evolution
in
the
age
of
dinosaurs.
Her
research
contributed
to
the
reconstruction
of
early
mammal
diversification,
anatomy,
and
ecological
roles
during
the
Cretaceous
and
into
the
Paleogene,
and
she
described
numerous
fossil
taxa
that
illuminated
the
evolutionary
transitions
between
major
mammal
groups.
importance
of
fossil
faunas
from
Central
Asia
for
global
vertebrate
paleontology.
She
mentored
generations
of
students
and
researchers,
helping
to
establish
Poland
as
a
prominent
center
for
paleontological
research.
Her
work
is
widely
regarded
as
foundational
in
the
study
of
Mesozoic
mammals,
and
she
remains
a
key
reference
for
understanding
early
mammalian
history
and
the
broader
narrative
of
vertebrate
evolution
during
the
era
of
dinosaurs.