Montana State University paleontologist Jack Horner was recently recognized as one of the top 24 scientists in the world by Newton Graphic Science Magazine, a respected magazine published in Japan.

                                                                                                                Photo Angie Ripple
The 24 scientists included individuals distinguished for their research in medicine, physics, space science and other fields. In addition to Horner, scientists recognized and interviewed by the publication included Rudolph Tanzi, who is known for his research on Alzheimer’s disease; theoretical physicist Lisa Randall of Harvard University; Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, a cardiologist and pan-zoologist; climate scientist David Vaughan; and Albert Fert, who won a Nobel Prize in physics.

Horner is Montana University System Regents Professor of Paleontology and Curator of Paleontology at MSU’s Museum of the Rockies. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost paleontologists and was a leader in the now-common theory that dinosaurs were warm-blooded social creatures more like birds than cold-blooded animals like lizards. He also received a MacArthur “Genius Grant” and served as adviser for the popular Jurassic Park films directed by Steven Spielberg.

In 2013, Horner received the Romer-Simpson Medal, a lifetime achievement award and the highest honor given by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.