Born-8 January 1823 and died-7 November 1913. He is a resident of England. He is the progenitor of the Wallace line. Did extensive research on animal adaptations. Awards received Darwin-Wallace Medal, Darwin Medal, Founder’s Gold Medal, Linnean Medal, Copley Medal, Order of Merit, Royal Medal etc.
Gregor Johann Mendel
Born – 20 July 1822 AD and died – 6 January 1884 AD. He was a native of the Czech Republic. He is called the father of genetics. He studied the bean plant and provided two clues to heredity. This is called Mendelism.
Theodor Schwann
Born – 7 December 1810 AD and died – 11 January 1882 AD. He is a resident of Germany. He is called the proponent of the cell theory. He pointed out that organisms are made up of cells and new cells are formed from old cells. Discover the myelin sheath of peripheral axons and marked muscle. Identified the role of microorganisms in decomposition. He won the Copley Medal in 1845.
Charles Robert Darwin
Born-12 February 1809 AD and died-19 April 1882 AD. He is a resident of United Kingdom. He advocated the theory of natural selection. He explains the role of nature in the origin and evolution of species. Mentions the gradual changes in coral reefs. Introduced the doctrine of Pangenesis. Explains human evolution. The most discussed book in the history of biology written by him is – Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society, Copley Medal, Royal Medal and Wollaston Medal.
Karl Ernst Von Baer
Born-28 February 1792 AD and died-28 November 1876 AD. He was a Russian citizen. He is called the father of modern embryology. He founded comparative embryology. Discovered the mammalian egg and notochord. Researched ethnology and anthropology. Discovered the neural folds, described the five main sacs of the brain and the function of the extracellular membrane.
Georges Cuvier
Born-23 August 1769 AD and died-13 May 1832 AD. He is a resident of France. He is called the father of comparative physiology. He established paleontology as a branch of science. Describe the comparative anatomy of animals. Improved Linnaeus’ taxonomy. His famous book is Le Rege Animal.
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck
Born on August 1, 1744 and died on December 18, 1829. He was a French soldier, naturalist and educator. World famous for Soft inheritance-Lamarckism. He coined the term Biology. He expressed the theory called Inheritance of Acquired characters in relation to the evolution of organisms. His world famous books are Philosophic Zoologique and Hydrogeologie.
Carolus Linnaeus
Born-23 May 1707 AD and Died-10 January AD. He is a Swedish biologist and physician. He founded The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He is called the father of taxonomy. He named many plant and animal taxa. Introduced binomial nomenclature of organisms. His famous books are Systema Naturae, Species Plantarum and Genera Plantarum etc.
Robert Hooke
Born-18 July 1635 AD and died-3 March 1703 AD. He is a British engineer and philosopher. He increased the magnification of the microscope. Discovered the cell and first used the term cell. He wrote the famous book Micrographia about cells.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
Born-24 October 1632 AD and died-26 August 1723 AD. He is a native of the Netherlands and a Dutch scientist. He is called father of microbiology. He invented the simple microscope. First described unicellular organisms and named them animalcules. He first observed protozoa, bacteria, yeast, red blood cells, sperm, nerve cells, muscle tissue, etc. Describe the circulation of blood inside the capillaries. Describe the life cycle of insects. His book is – On the Circulation of the Blood, Latin Text of His 65th Letter to the Royal Society, Facsimile.