Biology. Big Encyclopedia

Among serious scientists, there are many eccentric personalities. But 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 made his willow grow, and he also left us a recipe for producing 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 the mother of goslings while he studied their behavior. However, not all key figures in the history of biology were scientists. Just remember the monk Gregor Mendel, who grew peas in the garden of his abbey and subsequently formulated the laws of inheritance. Thus, the modern efforts of professionals and amateurs have greatly brought us closer to understanding ourselves and the world around us.