The Existence of Cells
In 1665, Robert Hooke discovered that the cell is the basic building block of all living organisms.
The cell is the basic unit of anatomy. Millions of cells build living plants and
animals. The functions of a body can be studied by studying individual cells.
Hooke’s discovery of the cell has allowed biologists to better understand living organisms. Hooke’s work with a microscope opened the public’s eyes to the microscopic world.
Fossils
In 1669, Nicholas Steno discovered that Fossils are the remains of past living organisms.
Nicholas Steno provided the first true definition of the word “fossil” and the first understanding of the origin and nature of fossils.
The only way we can learn about the ancient past is to examine fossil remains of now extinct plants and animals and try to re-create that long-gone life and environment. Scientists can only do this if they correctly interpret the fossil remains that are dug from ancient rock layers.
Bacteria
In 1680, Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered Microscopic organisms exists that cannot be seen by the human eye.
In 1674 Van Leeuwenhoek discovered microscopic protozoa (bacteria) in every water drop. He had discovered microscopic life, invisible to the human eye. He expanded his search for these unseeably small creatures and found them every where: on human eye lashes, on fleas, in dust, and on skin. He drew and described these tiny creatures with excellent, precise drawings.
His work founded the science of microbiology and opened tissue studies and plant studies to the microscopic world.
Photosynthesis
In 1779, Jan Ingenhousz discovered that Plants use sun light to convert carbon dioxide in the air into new plant matter.
When Jan Ingenhousz discovered the process of photosynthesis, he vastly improved our basic understanding of how plants function on this planet and helped science gain a better understanding of two important atmospheric
gasses
oxygen and carbon dioxide. Modern plant engineering and crop sciences owe their foundation to Jan Ingenhousz’s discovery.
The Theory of Evolution
In 1858, Charles Darwin discovered that Species evolve over time to best take advantage of their surrounding environment, and those species most fit for their environment survive best.
Darwin’s theory of evolution and its concept of survival of the fittest is the most fundamental and important discovery of modern biology and ecology. Darwin’s discoveries are more than 150 years old and are still the foundation of our understanding of the history and evolution of plant and animal life.
Heredity
In 1865, Gregor Mendel discovered the natural system that passes traits and characteristics from one generation to the next.
This discovery laid the foundation for the field of genetics and the study of genes and heredity. The discoveries of genes, chromosomes, DNA, and the decoding of the human genome (completed in 2003) are all direct descendents of Mendel’s work. The medical break throughs in the fights to cure many diseases are off shoots of the work begun by Gregor Mendel.
Cell Division
In 1882, Walther Flemming discovered the process by which chromosomes split so that cells can divide to produce new cells.
Chromosomes carry genes that hold the blue prints for building, operating, and maintaining the cells of our body. Genetics and heredity research could not advance until these physical structures inside the nucleus of each cell had been discovered and studied.
Virus
In 1898, Dmitri Ivanovsky and Martinus Beijerinick discovered the smallest, simplest living organism and causative agent for many human diseases, from simple colds to deadly yellow fever.
Viruses cause many of the most dangerous human diseases. Until they were discovered, medical science had ground to a halt in its advance on curing these human illnesses. That became possible only after the discovery of virus.
Radio Active Dating
In 1907, Bertram Boltwood discovered the use of radio active decaying elements to calculate the age of rocks.
Scientists had been estimating Earth’s age for thousands of years However, these were little more than guesses. Boltwood discovered the first reliable way to calculate the age of a rock. Since some rocks are nearly as old as the earth, dating these rocks provided the first reasonable estimate of Earth’s age.
Function of Chromosomes
In 1909, T.H. Morgan discovered that Genes are linked in groups that are strung along chromosomes.
Morgan’s discovery formed much of the foundation for later discoveries of how genes and chromosomes do their work as well as the structure of the DNA molecule.
Human Evolution
In 1924, Raymond Dart discovered that Humanoids evolved first in Africa and, as Darwin had postulated, developed from the family of apes.
Humans have always wondered how we came to be on this planet. This discovery redirected all of human evolutionary research and theory and has served as a cornerstone of science’s modern beliefs about the history and origin of our species.
Ecosystem
In 1935, Arthur Tansley discovered that the plants, animals, and environment in a given place are all interdependent.
Tansley discovered that every organism is part of a closed, interdependent system — an ecosystem. This discovery was an important development in our understanding of Biology and the science of ecology.
Origins of Life
In 1952, Stanley Miller discovered the first laboratory re-creation of the process of originally creating life on Earth. He re-created the conditions of
the early oceans in his lab and showed that amino acids could, indeed, form from this chemical mix of the primordial seas.
This was the first scientific discovery, to support the theory that life on Earth evolved naturally from inorganic compounds in the oceans. It has been a cornerstone of biological sciences ever since.
DNA
In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the molecular structure of, and shape of, the molecule that carries the genetic in formation for every living organism.
That discovery has been called by many “the most significant discovery of the century ” This discovery of the details of the DNA molecule’s structure allowed medical scientists to understand, and to develop cures for, many deadly diseases. Millions of lives have been saved. Now DNA evidence is commonly used in court.
Human Genome
In 2003, James Watson and J. Craig Venter discovered a detailed mapping of the entire human DNA genetic code.
Deciphering the human genetic code, the human genome, has been called the first great scientific discovery of the twenty-first century the “Holy Grail” of Biology. This discovery has already led to medical breakthroughs in genetic defects, disease cures, and in herited diseases. It is the key to future discoveries about human anatomy and health. Understanding this genome vastly increased our appreciation of what makes us unique and what connects us with other living species.