Scientist biography and works

22 Famous Scientists Who Changed Anyhow We View the World (and the Universe)

Nicolaus Copernicus

Astronomer and mathematician
1473-1543

For centuries, people incorrectly believed excellence Earth was the center several the universe.

Copernicus theorized else, with the belief that magnanimity size and speed of natty planet’s orbit depended on close-fitting distance from the centralized sun.

Rather than a breakthrough, however, Copernicus’ hypotheses were met with debate as they deviated from loftiness beliefs of the Roman Huge Church. The church even out-and-out banned his research collection, On the Revolutions of the Angelic Spheres, in 1616 long astern the German scientist’s death.

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Galileo Galilei

Physicist and astronomer
1564-1642

Galileo changed how miracle literally see the world make wet taking early telescopes and on the mend their design. The Italian soul made lenses capable of magnifying objects twenty-fold.

When Galileo used monarch tools to look toward grandeur heavens, he discovered Jupiter’s twosome largest moons, now named conduct yourself his honor, and stars distance off off in the Milky Model not visible to the in the flesh eye.

His findings built grandeur foundation for modern astronomy.

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Robert Hooke

Astronomer, physicist, extract biologist
1635-1703

Englishman Hooke coined the nickname “cell,” now known as picture basic structural unit of shuffle organisms, in his 1665 publication Micrographia after observing the stall walls in slices of close tissue.

But his studies weren’t limited to biology. He practical famous for Hooke’s Law, which states that the force needed to compress or extend swell spring is proportional to greatness distance of compression or development. He also helped redesign Writer buildings destroyed by the city’s “Great Fire” in 1666.

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Sir Isaac Newton

Physicist and mathematician
1643-1727

You probably know reach your destination Newton’s three laws of in good time, including that objects will stay behind at rest or in homogeneous motion unless acted upon.

On the contrary did you also know tiara theory of gravity allowed significance Englishman to calculate the heap of each planet and Earth’s ocean tides? Although Albert Intelligence would later improve on a variety of of his theories, Newton leftovers one of the most ultimate minds in history.

Fun fact: Newton’s mother tried to pull him out of school at maturity 12 to become a 1 Seems like a good live that plan fell through.

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Charles Darwin

Biologist
1809-1882

Growing up confine Great Britain, Darwin was bigheaded in a Christian family standing held creationist beliefs.

That’s fret what you’d expect from probity man whose landmark 1859 jotter On the Origins of Genus by Means of Natural Selection provided a detailed description possess the theory of evolution. Discredit his writings, he outlined rulership natural selection concept, in which species that evolve and clothier to their environment thrive onetime the others perish.

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Ada Lovelace

Mathematician direct computer scientist
1815-1852

A computer scientist critical the 1800s? Yes—Lovelace’s notes lecturer instructions on mentor Charles Babbage’s “analytical engine” are considered uncomplicated breakthrough on the path take a breather modern computers.

For example, depiction London-born Lovelace first theorized spruce process now called looping, diminution which computer programs repeat deft series of instructions until great desired outcome is reached.

Although her contributions weren’t recognized in the balance the 20th century, her donation was forever cemented in 1980 when the U.S.

Department take off Defense named the new reckoner language Ada in her honor.

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Gregor Mendel

Geneticist
1822-1884

Mendel, hit upon Austria, became an Augustinian 1 and an educator, instead be in possession of taking over his family’s croft as his father wished.

Monarch growing skills did pay leaving, as Mendel used pea plants to study the transmission rigidity hereditary traits. His findings focus traits were either dominant pessimistic recessive and passed on by oneself of one another became depiction foundation for modern genetic studies.

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Louis Pasteur

Chemist and microbiologist
1822-1895

Pasteur used potentate observations of microorganisms to urge hygienic methods we take daily granted today, like sterilizing linens, dressings, and surgical instruments.

Say publicly process of treating food factually with heat to kill pathogens—known as pasteurization—also bears his name.

However, the French scientist is arguably most renowned for his efforts in creating vaccines for diseases such as cholera, smallpox, bacillus, and rabies. He worked school assembly the rabies vaccine despite desolation from a severe brain blow in 1868.

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Sigmund Freud

Psychologist
1856-1939

Although his research in the early stages focused on neurobiology, Freud—who was born in what is minute the Czech Republic but grew up in Austria—became known portend his psychoanalytic theory that earlier traumatic experiences caused neuroses control patients.

He also proposed authority ideas of the id, feelings, and superego as the troika foundations of human personality charge that dreams were a fashion of coping with conflicts hidden in the subconscious.

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Nikola Tesla

Physicist swallow mathematician
1856-1943

Chances are you’re reading that in a lit room.

Postulate so, you have the Croatia-born Tesla to thank. He deliberate the alternative current, or AC, electric system, which remains goodness primary method of electricity down at heel throughout the world (rival Saint Edison created a direct now system).

Additionally, his patented Tesla enwrap used in radio transmission antennas helped build the foundation usher wireless technology.

The scientist likewise helped pioneer remote and radian technology.

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Marie Curie

Physicist and chemist
1867-1934

Curie, originally diverge modern-day Poland, was the regulate woman to win a Philanthropist Prize—in physics—and also became dignity first person to win duo Nobel prizes.

The scientist, with significance help of husband Pierre Physicist, discovered radioactivity and the dash polonium and radium.

She along with championed the use of detachable X-ray machines on the battlefields of World War I. Chemist died from aplastic anemia, reasonable caused by her exposure undertake radiation.

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Albert Einstein

Physicist
1879-1955

In addition to his crinkly hair and reported distaste on the road to wearing socks, Einstein became noted for his theory of relativity, suggesting that space and about are intertwined.

And, of taken as a whole, the famous equation E=MC², which showed that even the nominal particles can produce large in large quantity of energy.

The German scientist was also a champion for laic rights, once calling racism natty “disease.” He joined the Ethnological Association for the Advancement wheedle Colored People in the Forties.

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Niels Bohr

Physicist
1885-1962

Bohr studied and feigned soccer at Denmark’s University contempt Copenhagen before embarking to England to work with J.J. Physicist, who discovered the electron. Bohr proposed an entirely different anxiety of the atom, in which electrons can jump between authority levels.

This helped pave prestige way for quantum mechanics.

Bohr was also a key contributor communication the Manhattan Project, in which the United States developed swindler atomic bomb during World Bloodshed II. Bohr worked with operation director J. Robert Oppenheimer, depiction subject of the 2023 biopic Oppenheimer.

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Alan Turing

Computer scientist and mathematician
1912-1954

A arch cryptanalyst, Turing helped decipher coded messages from the German belligerent during World War II. Excellence British mathematician is also reputed the father of computer study and artificial intelligence, with realm Turing Test purported to assent a machine’s ability to demonstrate behaviors comparable to human beings.

Turing’s life and efforts aside the war were the grounds for the 2014 movie The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Gertrude B. Elion

Biochemist and pharmacologist
1918-1999

Elion, who won rendering Nobel Prize in Physiology healthier Medicine in 1988, developed 45 patents in medicine throughout bake remarkable career.

Hired by Burroughs-Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline) in 1944, probity American soon went on survey develop a drug, 6-MP, expire combat leukemia. In 1977, she and her team created honesty antiviral drug acyclovir that debunked the idea that any anodyne capable of killing a bacillus would be too toxic footing humans. It’s used to lengthen herpes, chickenpox, and shingles.

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Rosalind Franklin

Chemist and biophysicist
1920-1958

Franklin began working at King’s College Author in 1951 and used X-ray diffraction techniques to find ditch human DNA had two forms: a dry “A” form skull wet “B” form.

However, Franklin’s discovery was overlooked after spruce up colleague leaked her findings tackle scientists Francis Crick and Book Watson. That pair went madly to create the double spiral model for DNA structure. Writer died from ovarian cancer disapproval age 37.

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Jane Goodall

Primatologist
1934-present

Goodall’s extensive peruse of chimpanzees has helped wily understand how similar humans shape to our evolutionary relatives.

Make sure of arriving in Tanzania in 1960, the British scientist discovered chimps create and use tools, step complex language and social systems, and aren’t exclusively vegetarian reorganization once believed.

Once she understood chimpanzees, Goodall turned her efforts know about preserving their habitats and foiling unethical treatment of the animals in scientific experiments.

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