Biology. The Great Encyclopedia

Among serious scientists, there are many eccentric personalities. However, the most desperate madmen can be found among biologists and doctors. For example, Jan Baptist van Helmont diligently weighed soil from a pot to determine what causes his willow to grow,... and also left us a recipe for making mice; Santorio tirelessly measured the volumes of his meals for thirty years; Luigi Galvani passed electricity through the bodies of frogs; Konrad Lorenz had to replace a goose mother when he studied their behavior. However, not all key figures in the history of biology were scientists. Consider, for instance, the monk Gregor Mendel, who grew peas in the garden of his abbey and later formulated the laws of inheritance. Thus, the modern efforts of professionals and amateurs have significantly brought us closer to understanding ourselves and the world around us.