Biology is the study of life and living form. There are different fields in biology. The person who study biology is called as biologist. The role played by biologist is very important in the world. Great efforts of some well known biologist, forms the basis for today’s world. Experiments and observation of these biologists has improved our life in several ways. The biologist had proposed research papers, theory & laws which are still known today. Let’s look at the top 10 great biologist of all time and their contributions to the living world.
#1 Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)
The top most name in the list of great biologist is of Gregor Johann Mendel. He did experiments on pea plant. He was among the few great scientists who used mathematics for biological laws. Mendel was also a great mathematician. So his findings were very well experienced in ratios. That made his results easy to understand. Initially, his results were not accepted by great biologist. After Mendel’s death, DeVries, Correns and Tschermak rediscovered Mendel’s work. The conclusion is now referred to as the “Mendelian Inheritance”. The findings of Mendel had a major role in genetics. Gregor Mendel laid the foundation for further studies on evolution and genetics. He is known as the father of “Modern Genetics”.
#2 Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
The second name in the list of top biologist is of the Charles Darwin. Darwin’s theory is the well known theory of origin of species given by him. He is referred as father of evolution. He is the most renowned biologist around the world. At the University of Edinburgh, he studied medicine. His research findings are written in the famous book On the “Origin of Species”. He was also a great naturalist. On his visit to The Galápagos Islands in South America, he observed a wide range of species. These species of birds are known as Darwin finches. He then worked on almost fifteen different species of birds and animals. He also proposed other concepts like “all living beings coming from one single source”.
#3 Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
How we can forget the name of Rachel Louise Carson, the great marine biologist. She was born in Pennsylvania in the year 1907. The world remember her for the “Movement Against Using Pesticides”. It had a great impact around the globe. Pesticides are the chemicals which are used to Kill the pest. During her study, she found the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment. To make the world about her observation, she wrote the book named “Silent Spring”. With the help of examples, she explained the effects of pesticides on the environment. She steered the environmentalist movement in the United States. The movement led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
#4 Aristotle (384- 322 BC)
Aristotle is among the top ranking biologist of the world. He was a great ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. Aristotle is referred to as the father of “Western Philosophy”. His writings cover physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics ETC. Other subjects like logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theater, music are also covered. Aristotle is also one of the first biologists ever recorded in the history of the world. His work of systematic organization and grouping of organism is recognized worldwide. He also used physiology to associate different animal species. He classified plants as organisms without blood and animals like the ones with it. Aristotle is known as the father of zoology.
#5 Andreas Vesalius (1514- 1564)
The word anatomy, remember us, about Andreas Vesaliue. Anatomy is one of the field of biology which study’s about internal structure of organism. Andreas Vesalius is an anatomist & physician known for his great discoveries. He was born in Brussels. He was a professor at the University of Padua. Furthermore, he disproved Galen’s assertion that men have more teeth than women. He introduced the notion of induction of the extraction of empyema through surgical means. He wrote a famous book on human anatomy named “On the Fabric of the Human Body”.
#6 Louis Pasteur (1822- 1895)
Louis Pasteur was a renowned French chemist and microbiologist. He is regarded as top founders of modern bacteriology. Louis Pasteur is well Known for Germ theory of disease, and Pasteurization. His findings had increased the shelf life of food items of today world. The development of Rabies vaccine, Cholera vaccine, & Anthrax vaccines, saved millions of life. The Pasteur Institute, was established in 1887. After his death, his body was interred in a vault beneath the institute. His findings have leaded the world with better food safety measures. In many localities worldwide, streets are named in his honor.
#7 Alexander Von Humboldt (1769- 1859)
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer. Alexander combined the various branches of geology, biology, and meteorology. He gave us the idea that the continents of today were once a consolidated piece of land. His work describes the vegetation zones (geobotany). Alexander also explains the climate using latitude and altitude. He also put concepts such as human-caused climate change, geology & formation of stars. Thus, Humboldt majorly influenced the knowledge with which we are living today. As a honer, many species, school, institution, roads are named after him. Alexander von Humboldt is known as the father of ecology.
#8 Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek (1632- 1723)
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek is one of the top biologist of all time. Born in the 1632 Netherlands, he is recognized as the Father of Microbiology. He studied microorganism. He was the first to observe a tiny single-cell organism. Antonie developed his own microscopes for observation. There were around twenty-five microscopes built by him. So Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek is considered a top class microscopist and biologist. While examining the pond water, he discovered the microorganism. He was the first to relatively determine their size. He first to observe muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa, red blood cells. This had a great impact on study of life forms.
#9 Joseph Lister (1827- 1912)
Joseph Lister is a famous British surgeon. He is a pioneer of antiseptic surgery & preventative medicine. He is considered as the “father” of antiseptic surgery. Furthermore, he was born in the city of Essex, Britain in 1827. Joseph Lister studied at the University of London. He also studied at the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Glasgow. Joseph Lister found a way to prevent infection in wounds during and after surgery. He was the first to apply the science of Germ Theory to surgery. Lister’s Antisepsis System is the basis of modern infection control. His principles made surgery safe and continue to save countless lives. Lister created the Antiseptic Carbolic Acid for sanitization purposes. Today’s Listerine, mouthwash, is named after Dr. Joseph Lister.
#10 Carl Linnaeus (1707- 1778)
Carl Linnaeus also known as Carl von Linné. He was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician. Carl Linnaeus purposed the binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the “father of modern taxonomy”. His work includes identification, organization, and naming of living organisms. He classified plants and animals into classes, kingdoms, genus, orders, and species. Linnaean taxonomy has allowed biologists to group related species into genealogical trees. This help to evaluate the evolutionary history for the organisms. His studies are vastly used today. Linnaeus proved that even distinct organisms are some way or the other related. His work formed the foundation for studies of other biologist.
We tried to provide information about top 10 famous biologist of the world. Did you find this article useful? What do you think about the role of biologist in your life? Do they deserve to be recognized and remembered even in today’s world? Please add your valuable comments.
