Strange Science: Biographies
Science is a body of knowledge that accumulates over generations. Even when an individual reaches the wrong conclusions, he or she paves the way for those who follow. (Albert Einstein swept aside many of the theories of Isaac Newton, but if there had never been a Newton, there never could have been an Einstein.) This section gives biographies of just some of the people — scientists, artists and collectors — who contributed to what we know today.
If you're having trouble finding a particular individual, you can try the <Control>+<F> keyboard shortcut or the site's search page.
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Rough Chronological Order
- Herodotus
- Aristotle
- Theophrastus
- Lucretius
- Pliny the Elder
- Pausanias
- Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
- Roger Bacon
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Albrecht Dürer
- Georg Bocskay and Joris Hoefnagel
- Paracelsus
- Rudolf II
- Giuseppe Arcimboldo
- Olaus Magnus
- Ambroise Paré
- Bernard Palissy
- Conrad Gesner
- Ulisse Aldrovandi
- Francis Bacon
- Tradescant and Ashmole
- Ole Worm
- Niels Stensen
- Carolus Clusius
- Ferrante Imperato
- Cesi and the Linceans
- Athanasius Kircher
- Sir Thomas Browne
- Agostino Scilla
- Descartes
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- Robert Plot
- Robert Hooke
- Leeuwenhoek
- Jan Swammerdam
- Frederik Ruysch
- Francis Willughby
- John Ray
- Martin Lister
- Hans Sloane
- Johann Jakob Scheuchzer
- Johann Bartholomew Adam Beringer
- Abraham Trembley
- Benoît de Maillet
- Diderot and d'Alembert
- Maria Sibylla Merian
- G.E. Rumphius
- Albertus Seba
- Linnaeus
- Erasmus Darwin
- Benjamin Franklin
- William Bartram
- Sir Joseph Banks
- Sydney Parkinson
- Ferdinand Bauer
- Giovanni Arduino
- Abraham Gottlob Werner
- James Hutton
- Antoine Lavoisier
- Buffon
- Etheldred Benett
- Georges Cuvier
- Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
- Lamarck
- Thomas Jefferson
- William Paley
- Mary Anning
- William Buckland
- Gideon Mantell
- John James Audubon
- John Gould
- Alexander von Humboldt
- William Conybeare
- Robert Chambers
- Joachim Barrande
- Adam Sedgwick
- Roderick Impey Murchison
- Henry De la Beche
- Edward Hitchcock
- Orra White Hitchcock
- William Smith
- John Phillips
- Charles Lyell
- Robert Grant
- Alcide d'Orbigny
- Charles Darwin
- Alfred Russel Wallace
- Henry Walter Bates
- Philip Henry Gosse
- Louis Agassiz
- Sir Richard Owen
- Thomas Henry Huxley
- Joseph Hooker
- Harry Govier Seeley
- Louis Dollo
- Fuhlrott and Schaaffhausen
- Ernst Haeckel
- Francis Galton
- Alexander Winchell
- Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins
- John Martin
- Thomas Hawkins
- Gregor Mendel
- Joseph Leidy
- Edward Drinker Cope
- O.C. Marsh
- Charles Sternberg
- Arthur Lakes
- Alexander Karpinsky
- Barnum Brown
- Andrew Carnegie
- Ernst Stromer
- Tilly Edinger
- Alfred Wegener
- Arthur Holmes
- C.D. Walcott
- Eugène Dubois
- Franz Baron Nopcsa
- Charles Davenport
- Henry Fairfield Osborn
- Roy Chapman Andrews
- Charles R. Knight
- Robert Broom
- Marie Stopes
- Raymond Dart
- Dorothy Garrod
- Dorothy Hodgkin
- Rosalind Franklin
- Louis Leakey
- Mary Leakey
- Edwin H. Colbert
- Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska
- Joan Wiffen
- Women in Paleontology and Biology
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Alphabetical Order
- Louis Agassiz
- Ulisse Aldrovandi
- Roy Chapman Andrews
- Mary Anning
- Giuseppe Arcimboldo
- Giovanni Arduino
- Aristotle
- John James Audubon
- Francis Bacon
- Roger Bacon
- Sir Joseph Banks
- Joachim Barrande
- William Bartram
- Henry Walter Bates
- Ferdinand Bauer
- Etheldred Benett
- Johann Bartholomew Adam Beringer
- Georg Bocskay and Joris Hoefnagel
- Robert Broom
- Barnum Brown
- Sir Thomas Browne
- William Buckland
- Buffon
- Andrew Carnegie
- Cesi and the Linceans
- Robert Chambers
- Carolus Clusius
- Edwin H. Colbert
- William Conybeare
- Edward Drinker Cope
- Georges Cuvier
- Raymond Dart
- Charles Darwin
- Erasmus Darwin
- Charles Davenport
- Henry De la Beche
- Descartes
- Diderot and d'Alembert
- Louis Dollo
- Alcide d'Orbigny
- Eugène Dubois
- Albrecht Dürer
- Tilly Edinger
- Benjamin Franklin
- Rosalind Franklin
- Fuhlrott and Schaaffhausen
- Francis Galton
- Dorothy Garrod
- Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
- Conrad Gesner
- Philip Henry Gosse
- John Gould
- Robert Grant
- Ernst Haeckel
- Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins
- Thomas Hawkins
- Herodotus
- Edward Hitchcock
- Orra White Hitchcock
- Dorothy Hodgkin
- Arthur Holmes
- Robert Hooke
- Joseph Hooker
- Alexander von Humboldt
- James Hutton
- Thomas Henry Huxley
- Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
- Ferrante Imperato
- Thomas Jefferson
- Alexander Karpinsky
- Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska
- Athanasius Kircher
- Charles R. Knight
- Arthur Lakes
- Lamarck
- Antoine Lavoisier
- Louis Leakey
- Mary Leakey
- Leeuwenhoek
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- Joseph Leidy
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Linnaeus
- Martin Lister
- Lucretius
- Charles Lyell
- Olaus Magnus
- Benoît de Maillet
- Gideon Mantell
- John Martin
- O.C. Marsh
- Gregor Mendel
- Maria Sibylla Merian
- Roderick Impey Murchison
- Franz Baron Nopcsa
- Henry Fairfield Osborn
- Sir Richard Owen
- William Paley
- Bernard Palissy
- Paracelsus
- Ambroise Paré
- Sydney Parkinson
- Pausanias
- John Phillips
- Pliny the Elder
- Robert Plot
- John Ray
- Rudolf II
- G.E. Rumphius
- Frederik Ruysch
- Johann Jakob Scheuchzer
- Agostino Scilla
- Albertus Seba
- Adam Sedgwick
- Harry Govier Seeley
- Hans Sloane
- William Smith
- Niels Stensen
- Charles Sternberg
- Marie Stopes
- Ernst Stromer
- Jan Swammerdam
- Theophrastus
- Tradescant and Ashmole
- Abraham Trembley
- C.D. Walcott
- Alfred Russel Wallace
- Alfred Wegener
- Abraham Gottlob Werner
- Joan Wiffen
- Francis Willughby
- Alexander Winchell
- Women in Paleontology and Biology
- Ole Worm
- Illustrations shown on this page from:
- Hunting Dinosaurs by Louie Psiyoyos
- Fossils, Evidence of Vanished Worlds by Yvette Gayrard-Valy
- See References for more information.
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Narrative text and graphic design © 1998-2025 by Michon Scott - Updated January 1, 2025