List of Scientists and their Inventions

Biology has grown through the work of many great scientists. They made discoveries that changed how we understand living things.

1. Aristotle – One of the first to classify living things

Studied animals and plants and grouped them based on how they look and move
Divided animals with and without blood (similar to today’s vertebrates and invertebrates)
Laid the foundation for biological classification and observation of life

2. Robert Hooke – Discovered and named the "cell"

Used a microscope to look at thin slices of cork
Saw small, box-like structures which reminded him of tiny rooms called “cells”
The first person to describe cells, starting the study of cell biology

3. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek – First to see microorganisms

Built powerful, simple microscopes by hand
Looked at drops of pond water and saw tiny living creatures
Called them "animalcules" – later known as bacteria and protozoa
Considered the father of microbiology

4. Carl Linnaeus – Modern system of naming species

Made the binomial nomenclature system
Gave each organism a genus and species name (e.g., Homo sapiens)
Made it easier to classify and organise living things
His system is still used by scientists worldwide

5. Charles Darwin – Explained how species evolve by natural selection

Visited the Galápagos Islands and studied animals like finches and tortoises
Noticed differences in traits and how they helped organisms survive
Proposed the theory of natural selection.

6. Gregor Mendel – Basic laws of genetics

Conducted experiments on pea plants in a monastery garden
Observed patterns in how traits like flower colour and plant height were passed on
Found dominant and recessive traits
Known as the “Father of Genetics” for his work on inheritance

7. Louis Pasteur – Proved that germs cause disease and invented pasteurisation

Rejected the idea of spontaneous generation that life comes from non-living things
Showed that microbes in the air can spoil food and cause sickness
Created the process of pasteurisation to kill germs in liquids like milk
Developed vaccines for diseases like rabies and anthrax

8. Edward Jenner – Developed the first vaccine

Observed that milkmaids who had cowpox didn’t get smallpox
In 1796, he used cowpox to stop a boy from getting smallpox and made the first vaccine.
He founded the science of immunology and vaccination.

9. Alexander Fleming – The first antibiotic, penicillin

In 1928, he noticed that a mold killed bacteria in his lab dishes
This mold led to the creation of penicillin – the world’s first antibiotic.
Opened the door to modern antibiotics and infection treatment

10. Watson and Crick – Discovered the structure of DNA

Discovered the shape of DNA in 1953
Found that DNA is a double helix – like a twisted ladder
Their model explained how genetic information is stored and copied.
Their work helped in the Human Genome Project.

Summary

Biology has changed over time due to the great discoveries of scientists. Aristotle grouped living things. Hooke discovered cells. Leeuwenhoek saw bacteria. Linnaeus created a naming system. Darwin talked about how species change. Mendel found rules for traits. Pasteur discovered germs. Jenner made vaccines. Fleming found penicillin. Watson and Crick figured out DNA’s structure.