Quite an interesting yet complex field of science, biology is important to us. With past discoveries, we now live in a world full of information. It is because of some of those profound scientists, researchers, and observers that today we are aware of a lot of things around us including our very own body! Throwing light on the life of organisms, biology has enormously taught us about Earth and the evolution of life.
Here we provide our list of some of the greatest and most impactful biologists of all time:
- Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
The most renowned biologist around the world, Charles Darwin is famous for his ‘Theory of Evolution’. For this, he is also referred to as the father of evolution. Born in 1809, this British scientist attended the University of Edinburgh where he studied medicine. He also proposed other concepts like ‘all living beings coming from one single source’. The famous book ‘On the Origin of Species’ is authored by Charles which is a compilation of his researches and observations. A small chain of islands in South America, The Galapagos Islands is the place where Darwin observed and realized a wide range of species all displaying distinct characteristics. He then worked on almost fifteen different species of birds and animals.
2. Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)
Next up on our list is Gregor Mendel who is known as the father of ‘Modern Genetics’. His research mainly includes finding those specific dominant traits in the same species, which he studied by analyzing pea plants. This conclusion is now referred to as the ‘Mendelian Inheritance’, which determined that some specific traits are dominant over the other regressive ones, which majorly influence the genetic makeup of an organism. After the publication of his ‘Experiments on Plant Hybridization’, Gregor paved the way for others to follow. Gregor Mendel laid the foundation for further studies on evolution and genetics.
3. Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
Rachel Louise Carson, born in Pennsylvania in the year 1907, has been credited for making a major impact on the world with her ‘Movement Against Using Pesticides’. Mainly a marine biologist, Rachel initiated her research on ecology and living beings in the 1950s. During her study, she observed that the use of synthetic pesticides, which were majorly utilized to kill insects, was actually harmful to the environment. Rachel Carson then wrote the book named ‘Silent Spring’ in which she mentioned the ill-effects of pesticides on the world by giving examples. She steered the environmentalist movement in the United States, which eventually led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
4. Aristotle (384- 322 BC)
The ancient Greek philosopher who is referred to as the father of ‘Western Philosophy’, Aristotle is also one of the first biologists ever recorded in the history of the world. He basically instigated the study of biology and opened the path of new possibilities for the upcoming generations. Famous for classifying organisms into a ‘Ladder of Life’, Aristotle’s studies are still used in almost all areas of life! Based on his observations, he classified plants as organisms without blood and animals like the ones with it. After spending around two years on the Lesbos Island, Aristotle wrote about zoology and sea life.
5. Andreas Vesalius (1514- 1564)
Hailing from Brussels in the Netherlands, Andreas Vesalius is an anatomist and physician known around the world for some of his great discoveries. Born in the year 1514, he is one of the greatest known biologists of all time! He wrote a famous book on human anatomy named ‘On the Fabric of the Human Body’. Due to this publication, Andreas was awarded the title of the ‘Father of Modern Human Anatomy’. He even served Emperor Charles V as his royal physician. Later, Vesalius became a professor at the University of Padua, Italy.
6.Louis Pasteur (1822- 1895)
Louis Pasteur was the one who invented the concept of ‘Pasteurization’. Born in France in 1822, this internationally renowned chemist and biologist is one of the creators of Medical Microbiology. He even made groundbreaking discoveries in recognizing and preventing certain diseases. Louis is majorly recognized around the world for inventing the pasteurization technique of treating milk and other liquids. His germ theory which he deduced after performing fermentation experiments, has left a profound impact on modern science today. It is due to Pasteur’s findings that the shelf life of food items has been extended, leading to better food safety.
7. Alexander Von Humboldt (1769- 1859)
Born in 1769, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt was a naturalist and an explorer. This German biologist gave us the idea that the continents of South America, Africa, and other states along the Atlantic Ocean were once a consolidated piece of land. Humboldt is the pioneer in the field of biogeography and is globally famous for Humboldtian Science. Alexander combined the various branches of geology, biology, and meteorology to come to this conclusion. He is also the first person to introduce the role of humans in climate change. Thus, Humboldt majorly influenced the knowledge with which we are living today.
8. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek (1632- 1723)
Antoine Van Leeuwenhoek, born in the 1632 Netherlands is recognized today as the Father of Microbiology. It was due to his curiosity in lens making that he was the first and the foremost human to observe single-cell organisms. While examining the pond water, he found tiny organisms that inhabited it. This famous microscopist cum biologist has majorly impacted science and technology since this discovery. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek was a businessman and a self-taught scientist whose interest in science led to the discovery of microbes or micro-organisms. He developed his own microscopes and had built around twenty-five of them during his lifetime.
9. Joseph Lister (1827- 1912)
Famous for utilizing antiseptics in cleaning and sterilizing wounds, Joseph Lister is believed to have pioneered antiseptic surgery. He was born in the city of Essex, Britain in 1827 and studied at the University of London, University of Edinburgh, and also at the University of Glasgow. A surgeon by profession, Joseph Lister was the first one to observe the link between micro-organisms and diseases. Before this observation, doctors and surgeons performed surgeries without actually washing their hands or sterilizing the instruments, which lead to ample infections mounting up fatalities. Lister created the Antiseptic Carbolic Acid for sanitization purposes, which was to be used before performing any surgeries.
10. Carl Linnaeus (1707- 1778)
Carl Linnaeus was a famous zoologist and botanist who came from Sweden. He was born in 1707 and is known around the world for the identification, organization, and naming of living organisms based on certain characteristics. His studies are vastly used today. Also referred to as the father of modern ecology and modern taxonomy, Linnaeus proved that even distinct organisms are some way or the other related. He classified plants and animals into classes, kingdoms, genus, orders, and species. Thus the Linnaean taxonomy was a cornerstone for other biologists who further studied this field.
