Science Biographies
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Mary Anning Information Sheets
Mary Anning information sheets Mary Anning was born in 1799 in the Dorset town of Lyme Regis. Her dad was a keen fossil hunter and showed Mary and her brother, Joseph, how to find and collect fossils from the local beaches. This part of the coast is now known as the Jurassic Coast due to the high number of pre-historic fossils found there. When Anning was 11 her dad died but she carried on looking for and collecting fossils in order to sell them. Anning’s family was very poor so they needed to earn as much money as possible from the sale of the fossils. Anning didn’t attend school as she needed to earn money for the family, and it was too expensive at the time to attend. She taught herself how to read, write and draw, and read all about anatomy to help her understand the way the fossilised animals that she found were formed. When she was 12, Anning’s brother spotted the fossilised skull of an Ichthyosaur. Anning uncovered it and discovered what turned out to be the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil to be found. This was an important discovery because it challenged the way scientists had thought the natural world had developed. In 1823 Anning discovered a Plesiosaurus and in 1828 she discovered a Pterodactylus. Many scientists came to visit Anning because she was so knowledgeable about her finds and the many other pre-historic fossils she had uncovered. She corresponded regularly with scientists, including Adam Sedgewick, who taught geology at Cambridge University. -
Blessed Nicholas Steno
BLESSEDThe Scientist NICHOLAS and STENO (IN DANISH, NIELS STEENSEN) 1638-1686 After a youth spent in studying and then in scientific research, Nicolas Steno at age St. Nicholas of Flue, better known as “Brother Klaus,” was declared patron saint of Switzerland by Pope Pius XII in 1947. He was born 28 converted to the Catholic of a farmer's family in 1417 in Flueli, in the Alpine foothills above Sachseln, in the region of Obwald. He married, had ten children, Church while watching the Portrait of Blessed and conducted a normal life until he was 50. Then he felt a very Nicholas Steno strong call from God to leave everything and follow Him. He therefore asked for three graces: to obtain the consent of his wife Corpus Christi procession, Dorothy and their older children; to never feel the temptation to turn back, and finally, God willing, to be able to live without drinking or eating. All his requests were granted. He lived for twenty years in the thus realizing the greatness forest as a hermit with no food except for the Eucharist, as many witnesses testified. and magnificence of the Eucharist; the Real Presence of Jesus in the Host. He then decided to become a priest and missionary in his own country. In Belgium, at Bois-d’Haine, the Servant of God Anne-Louise Lateau lived for twelve years without eating or drinking, and without sleeping, starting on March 26, 1871. On January 11, 1868, she received stigmata at her feet, hands, head, the left side of her chest and at her right shoulder. -
Unerring in Her Scientific Enquiry and Not Afraid of Hard Work, Marie Curie Set a Shining Example for Generations of Scientists
Historical profile Elements of inspiration Unerring in her scientific enquiry and not afraid of hard work, Marie Curie set a shining example for generations of scientists. Bill Griffiths explores the life of a chemical heroine SCIENCE SOURCE / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY LIBRARY PHOTO SCIENCE / SOURCE SCIENCE 42 | Chemistry World | January 2011 www.chemistryworld.org On 10 December 1911, Marie Curie only elements then known to or ammonia, having a water- In short was awarded the Nobel prize exhibit radioactivity. Her samples insoluble carbonate akin to BaCO3 in chemistry for ‘services to the were placed on a condenser plate It is 100 years since and a chloride slightly less soluble advancement of chemistry by the charged to 100 Volts and attached Marie Curie became the than BaCl2 which acted as a carrier discovery of the elements radium to one of Pierre’s electrometers, and first person ever to win for it. This they named radium, and polonium’. She was the first thereby she measured quantitatively two Nobel prizes publishing their results on Boxing female recipient of any Nobel prize their radioactivity. She found the Marie and her husband day 1898;2 French spectroscopist and the first person ever to be minerals pitchblende (UO2) and Pierre pioneered the Eugène-Anatole Demarçay found awarded two (she, Pierre Curie and chalcolite (Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2.12H2O) study of radiactivity a new atomic spectral line from Henri Becquerel had shared the to be more radioactive than pure and discovered two new the element, helping to confirm 1903 physics prize for their work on uranium, so reasoned that they must elements, radium and its status. -
The Scientist from a Flourishing Sex-Life to Modern DNA Technology
The Scientist From a Flourishing Sex-life to Modern DNA Technology Linnaeus the Scientist ll of a sudden you are standing there, in the bo- tanic garden that is to be Linnaeus’s base for a whole lifetime of scientific achievements. It is a beautiful spring day in Uppsala, the sun’s rays warm your heart as cheerfully as in your own 21st century. The hus- tle and bustle of the town around you break into the cen- trally located garden. Carriage wheels rattle over the cob- blestones, horses neigh, hens cackle from the house yards. The acrid smell of manure and privies bears witness to a town atmosphere very different from your own. You cast a glance at what is growing in the garden. The beds do not look particularly well kept. In fact, the whole garden gives a somewhat dilapidated impression. Suddenly, in the distance, you see a young man squat- A ting down by one of the beds. He is looking with great concentration at a small flower, examining it closely through a magnifying glass. When he lifts his head for a moment and ponders, you recognise him at once. It is Carl von Linné, or Carl Linnaeus as he was originally called. He looks very young, just over 20 years old. His pale cheeks tell you that it has been a harsh winter. His first year as a university student at Uppsala has been marked by a lack of money for both food and clothes as well as for wood to warm his rented room. 26 linnaean lessons • www.bioresurs.uu.se © 2007 Swedish Centre for School Biology and Biotechnology, Uppsala University, Sweden. -
Of Dahlia Myths.Pub
Cavanilles’ detailed illustrations established the dahlia in the botanical taxonomy In 1796, the third volume of “Icones” introduced two more dahlia species, named D. coccinea and D. rosea. They also were initially thought to be sunflowers and had been brought to Spain as part of the Alejandro Malaspina/Luis Neé expedition. More than 600 drawings brought the plant collection to light. Cavanilles, whose extensive correspondence included many of Europe’s leading botanists, began to develop a following far greater than his title of “sacerdote” (priest, in French Abbé) ever would have offered. The A. J. Cavanilles archives of the present‐day Royal Botanical Garden hold the botanist’s sizable oeu‐ vre, along with moren tha 1,300 letters, many dissertations, studies, and drawings. In time, Cavanilles achieved another goal: in 1801, he was finally appointed professor and director of the garden. Regrettably, he died in Madrid on May 10, 1804. The Cavanillesia, a tree from Central America, was later named for this famousMaterial Spanish scientist. ANDERS DAHL The lives of Dahl and his Spanish ‘godfather’ could not have been any more different. Born March 17,1751, in Varnhem town (Västergötland), this Swedish botanist struggled with health and financial hardship throughout his short life. While attending school in Skara, he and several teenage friends with scientific bent founded the “Swedish Topographic Society of Skara” and sought to catalogue the natural world of their community. With his preacher father’s support, the young Dahl enrolled on April 3, 1770, at Uppsala University in medicine, and he soon became one of Carl Linnaeus’ students. -
See Science Everywhere(Lesson 5) Mary Anning
See Science Everywhere (Lesson 5) Mary Anning: The Princess of Paleontology Lesson Overview: Students, in this lesson, will be introduced to an often overlooked figure in history: Mary Anning. Born in England in 1799, Anning was a pioneer in paleontology and an avid fossil collector. She is credited with many monumental geological discoveries; notably the discovery of the first Ichthyosaurus. She also uncovered the fossilized remains of the first winged dinosaur, the plesiosaur. Read to your student about her inspiring life in Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist, and explore the fascinating world of fossils with a hands-on activity. 1. Pre-reading: Vocabulary: (These terms can be found at the end of the picture book.) ● Fossil ● Paleontology ● Ammonite ● Belemnite ● Coprolites ● Petricola pholadiformis ● Plesiosaurus ● Ichthyosaurus ● Dinosaur ● Jurassic Period 2. Read: Follow this link to read the picture book Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers. 3. Watch: View this brief video clip from The Smithsonian about Mary Anning. The Princess of Paleontology 4. Further Exploration: Explain to your student that during this time in history, the field of paleontology had not been widely studied. Anning’s contributions were controversial; and the fact that she was not only a woman, but a poor, uneducated woman did not help gain her high ranking status among professional scientists. She is truly an unsung hero in this -
The Influence of Copernicus on Physics
radiosources, obJects believed to be extremely distant. Counts of these The influence of Copernicus sources indicate that their number density is different at large distances on physics from what it is here. Or we may put it differently : the number density of B. Paczynski, Institute of Astronomy, Warsaw radiosources was different a long time ago from what it is now. This is in This month sees the 500th Anniver tific one, and there are some perils contradiction with the strong cosmo sary of the birth of Copernicus. To associated with it. logical principle. Also, the Universe mark the occasion, Europhysics News Why should we not make the cos seems to be filled with a black body has invited B. Paczynski, Polish Board mological principle more perfect ? microwave radiation which has, at member of the EPS Division on Phy Once we say that the Universe is the present, the temperature of 2.7 K. It is sics in Astronomy, to write this article. same everywhere, should we not also almost certain that this radiation was say that it is the same at all times ? produced about 1010 years ago when Once we have decided our place is the Universe was very dense and hot, Copernicus shifted the centre of and matter was in thermal equilibrium the Universe from Earth to the Sun, not unique, why should the time we live in be unique ? In fact such a with radiation. Such conditions are and by doing so he deprived man vastly different from the present kind of its unique position in the Uni strong cosmological principle has been adopted by some scientists. -
Cosmology Timeline
Timeline Cosmology • 2nd Millennium BCEBC Mesopotamian cosmology has a flat,circular Earth enclosed in a cosmic Ocean • 12th century BCEC Rigveda has some cosmological hymns, most notably the Nasadiya Sukta • 6th century BCE Anaximander, the first (true) cosmologist - pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus, Ionia - Nature ruled by natural laws - Apeiron (boundless, infinite, indefinite), that out of which the universe originates • 5th century BCE Plato - Timaeus - dialogue describing the creation of the Universe, - demiurg created the world on the basis of geometric forms (Platonic solids) • 4th century BCE Aristotle - proposes an Earth-centered universe in which the Earth is stationary and the cosmos, is finite in extent but infinite in time • 3rd century BCE Aristarchus of Samos - proposes a heliocentric (sun-centered) Universe, based on his conclusion/determination that the Sun is much larger than Earth - further support in 2nd century BCE by Seleucus of Seleucia • 3rd century BCE Archimedes - book The Sand Reckoner: diameter of cosmos � 2 lightyears - heliocentric Universe not possible • 3rd century BCE Apollonius of Perga - epicycle theory for lunar and planetary motions • 2nd century CE Ptolemaeus - Almagest/Syntaxis: culmination of ancient Graeco-Roman astronomy - Earth-centered Universe, with Sun, Moon and planets revolving on epicyclic orbits around Earth • 5th-13th century CE Aryabhata (India) and Al-Sijzi (Iran) propose that the Earth rotates around its axis. First empirical evidence for Earth’s rotation by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi. • 8th century CE Puranic Hindu cosmology, in which the Universe goes through repeated cycles of creation, destruction and rebirth, with each cycle lasting 4.32 billion years. • • 1543 Nicolaus Copernicus - publishes heliocentric universe in De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium - implicit introduction Copernican principle: Earth/Sun is not special • 1609-1632 Galileo Galilei - by means of (telescopic) observations, proves the validity of the heliocentric Universe. -
3.Joule's Experiments
The Force of Gravity Creates Energy: The “Work” of James Prescott Joule http://www.bookrags.com/biography/james-prescott-joule-wsd/ James Prescott Joule (1818-1889) was the son of a successful British brewer. He tinkered with the tools of his father’s trade (particularly thermometers), and despite never earning an undergraduate degree, he was able to answer two rather simple questions: 1. Why is the temperature of the water at the bottom of a waterfall higher than the temperature at the top? 2. Why does an electrical current flowing through a conductor raise the temperature of water? In order to adequately investigate these questions on our own, we need to first define “temperature” and “energy.” Second, we should determine how the measurement of temperature can relate to “heat” (as energy). Third, we need to find relationships that might exist between temperature and “mechanical” energy and also between temperature and “electrical” energy. Definitions: Before continuing, please write down what you know about temperature and energy below. If you require more space, use the back. Temperature: Energy: We have used the concept of gravity to show how acceleration of freely falling objects is related mathematically to distance, time, and speed. We have also used the relationship between net force applied through a distance to define “work” in the Harvard Step Test. Now, through the work of Joule, we can equate the concepts of “work” and “energy”: Energy is the capacity of a physical system to do work. Potential energy is “stored” energy, kinetic energy is “moving” energy. One type of potential energy is that induced by the gravitational force between two objects held at a distance (there are other types of potential energy, including electrical, magnetic, chemical, nuclear, etc). -
The Spontaneous Generation Controversy (340 BCE–1870 CE)
270 4. Abstraction and Unification ∗ ∗ ∗ “O`uen ˆetes-vous? Que faites-vous? Il faut travailler” (on his death-bed, to his devoted pupils, watching over him). The Spontaneous Generation Controversy (340 BCE–1870 CE) “Omne vivium ex Vivo.” (Latin proverb) Although the theory of spontaneous generation (abiogenesis) can be traced back at least to the Ionian school (600 B.C.), it was Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) who presented the most complete arguments for and the clearest statement of this theory. In his “On the Origin of Animals”, Aristotle states not only that animals originate from other similar animals, but also that living things do arise and always have arisen from lifeless matter. Aristotle’s theory of sponta- neous generation was adopted by the Romans and Neo-Platonic philosophers and, through them, by the early fathers of the Christian Church. With only minor modifications, these philosophers’ ideas on the origin of life, supported by the full force of Christian dogma, dominated the mind of mankind for more that 2000 years. According to this theory, a great variety of organisms could arise from lifeless matter. For example, worms, fireflies, and other insects arose from morning dew or from decaying slime and manure, and earthworms originated from soil, rainwater, and humus. Even higher forms of life could originate spontaneously according to Aristotle. Eels and other kinds of fish came from the wet ooze, sand, slime, and rotting seaweed; frogs and salamanders came from slime. 1846 CE 271 Rather than examining the claims of spontaneous generation more closely, Aristotle’s followers concerned themselves with the production of even more remarkable recipes. -
University Microfilms International T U T T L E , V Ir G in Ia G R a C E
INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material subm itted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or “target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)”. If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again-beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy. -
Tema Del Día
TEMA DEL DÍA LAS RAÍCES DE LA GEOLOGÍA. NICOLAS STENO, LOS ESTRATOS Y EL DILUVIO UNIVERSAL The roots of the Geology. Nicolaus Steno, the strata and the Deluge Leandro Sequeiros * RESUMEN El De Solido intra solido naturaliter contento dissertatinis prodromus, uno de los libros más importan- tes para los inicios de la geología, fue publicado en Florencia en 1669. Su autor, Niels Steensen (también conocido por su nombre latinizado de Nicolaus Steno), fue un anatomista y naturalista danés nacido en Copenhague (Dinamarca) el 11 de enero de 1638. Estudió primero medicina en su ciudad y anatomía en Holanda y París. En 1660, visitó Roma y en 1666 se había establecido en Florencia donde fue acogido por el Gran Duque de Toscana Fernando II. En Florencia, estudiando los dientes puntiagudos que formaban diversas coronas en las mandíbulas de los tiburones, se sorprendió por su gran número, y sus semejanzas con las llamadas Glossopetrae, ob- jetos de piedra traídos de Malta. Steno pensó que ellos pertenecían a partes anatómicas de animales que habían vivido en otro tiempo, y que habían podido transformarse con facilidad mediante procesos quími- cos que no habían afectado a la forma. Los resultados llevaron a Steno a extender sus hipótesis a amplios estudios sobre las conchas de los moluscos antiguos, de los que describe su estructura y su origen orgáni- co, llegando a conclusiones muy cercanas a las aceptadas hoy día. ABSTRACT The De Solido intra solido naturaliter contento dissertationis prodromus, one of the most important bo- ok in the beginning of geology, was published at Florence in 1669.