Great minds of science

Aristotle is one of the most significant figures in all of human history. Over the course of his life, he studied and wrote about every possible field of knowledge. He studied physics, zoology, botany, and chemistry before any of these fields of science even had names. Without the benefit of modern tools like the telescope or microscope, Aristotle still laid the foundation for nearly all later developments in Western science. In addition to his work...

Antoine Lavoisier is considered to be the father of modern chemistry. Using experiments and careful measurements, he created a system to help chemists understand how matter behaves. He discovered and named oxygen and hydrogen, and helped set up a system to classify these and other elements. Perhaps his most famous discovery is the role oxygen plays in combustion.

Charles Darwin published his most important book in 1859 called THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. In this book Darwin claimed that plants and animals living today are descended from similar species that lived long ago. It caused an immediate uproar and upset some people because it appeared to go against the Bible. The genius of Charles Darwin is his discovery of a unifying theory of biology, explaining the diversity of life.

Isaac Newton is best known for his theories of motion and gravitation. These laws served as the foundation of science for the past three hundred years. In addition, using a prism, Newton first discovered the that sunlight is actually made up of light rays of many different colors. Among his other discoveries is the branch of mathematics called calculus.

How can we organize and name all of the different animals and plants in the world? Many had tried before, but Carl Linnaeus came up with a system that we still use today. This Swedish scientist from over 300 years ago is known as the father of classification. Linnaeus's system gave each plant or animal just two names. For example, the scientific term for human beings is Homo sapiens. In Latin, Homo means "man" and sapiens means "wise."

This book is the perfect introduction to the life and work of the amazing scientist, Galileo. Many historians credit Galileo as the "founder of modern experimental science." His life was not easy. His outspoken beliefs and discoveries earned him many enemies. The Roman Catholic Church disagreed with Galileo regarding Earth's position in the universe. The Church punished him and he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.