Ass 1 growth of biology

growth of

BIOLOGY

The earliest humans must have had and passed on knowledge about plants and animals to increase their chances of survival. This may

have included knowledge of human and animal anatomy and aspects of animal behavior (such as migration patterns). However, the first

major turning point in biological knowledge came with the Neolithic Revolution about 10,000 years ago.

Let’s trace the history of Biology

PREHISTORYHomo sapiens – 1.75 million B.C.

Human speech – 50, 000 B.C. Writing – 4, 000 B.C. origin (4.5 billion B.C.)

The age of the Earth has been determined to be 4.54 billion

years old

Pre history is a term used to describe a period before the recorded history. The term "prehistory" can be used to refer to all time since the beginning of the universe, although it is more often used in referring to the period of time since life appeared on Earth, or even more specifically to the time since human-like beings appeared. In dividing up human prehistory, prehistorians typically use the Three age system, whereas scholars of pre-human time periods typically use the well defined Rock record and its internationally defined stratum base within the geologic time scale. The three-age system is the periodization of human prehistory into three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies; the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

stone age iron agebronze age

paleolithic- first use of stone

tools

neolithic- primitive technological

& social development

mesolithic- development of human technology

chalcolithic- copper age

most advanced metal working

advent of ferrous metallurgy

technology

CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY (4000 B.C. to 476 A.D.)

classical Greece hellenistic period Roman empire

The history of science in Classical Antiquity encompasses both those inquiries into the workings of the universe aimed at such practical goals as establishing a reliable calendar or determining how to cure a variety of illnesses and those abstract investigations known

as natural philosophy. The ancient peoples who are considered the first scientists may have thought of themselves as natural philosophers, as practitioners of a skilled

profession (for example, physicians), or as followers of a religious tradition (for example, temple healers).The encyclopedic works of Aristotle, Archimedes, Hippocrates, Galen,

Ptolemy, Euclid, and others spread throughout the world. These works and the important commentaries on them were the wellspring of science.

The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, and China, among others,

produced renowned surgeons and students of the natural sciences such as Susruta and Zhang

Zhongjing, reflecting independent sophisticated systems of natural philosophy

Susruta of India performed

cataract surgery before 800 B.C.

wrote the medical masterpiece Treatise on

Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases

Zhang Zhongjing of China

(150 A.D.)

known for developing the

process of embalming, which

was used for mummification, in order to preserve

human remains and forestall

decomposition

Edwin Smith Papyrus of Egypt

(16th cent. B.C.)

Hippocrates(460 B.C.)

established medicine as a

profession

Aristotle (384 B.C.)

Focused on biological

causation and the diversity of

life

CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY (4000 B.C. to 476 A.D.)

Zhuangzi, Taoist

philosopher of China (4th cent. B.C.) expressed

ideas related to evolution,

such as denying the

fixity of biological

species and speculating that species

had developed differing

attributes in response to

differing environments

Theophrastus(371 B.C.), Aristotle’s

successor at the Lyceum, wrote a series of books

on Botany

Pliny the Elder (23 A.D.) known

for his knowledge of

plants and nature, and was the most prolific

compiler of zoological

descriptions

Herophilus (335-280 B.C.) & Erasistratus (304 – 250 B.C.) amended Aristotle’s

physiological work. They performed experimental dissections and they founded the school of anatomy in

Alexandria.

Galen (129 – 199 A.D.) was arguably

the most accomplished of

all medical researchers of antiquity. He contributed

greatly to the understanding of

numerous scientific

disciplines including anatomy,

physiology, pathology,pharmacology,neurology, philosophy, and

logic

The decline of the Romans led to the disappearance and destruction of

much knowledge.

middle ages

MIDDLE AGES (476 A.D. – 1449)

8th to 13th cent. – Islamic Golden Age

Al-Jahiz (781-869) described early evolutionary ideas in zoology; such as struggle for existence. He also introduced the idea of food chain.

Al Dinawari (828-896) is considered the founder of Arabic botany for his Book of Plants, in which he described at least 637 species and discussed plant development from germination to death, describing the phases of plant growth and the production of flowers and fruit

Abu Rayhan Biruni (973-

1048) described the idea of

artificial selection and

argued that nature works in much the same

way, an idea that has been

compared to natural selection.

Rhazes (865–925) In anatomy and physiology, the Persian physician carried out an early experiment to discredit the Galenic theory of humorism

Avenzoar (1091–1161) was an early adherent of experimental dissection and autopsy, which he carried out to prove that the skin disease scabies was caused by a parasite, a discovery which upset the theory of humorism. He also introduced experimental surgery, where animal testing is used to experiment with surgical techniques prior to using them on humans

Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati developed an early scientific method for botany, introducing empirical and experimental techniques in the testing, description and identification of numerous materia medica, and separating unverified reports from those supported by actual tests and observations

Avicenna (980–1037) introduced clinical trials and clinical pharmacology

in The Canon of Medicine

During a famine in Egypt in 1200, Abd-el-latif (1162-1231) observed and examined a large number of skeletons, and he

discovered that Galen was incorrect regarding the formation of the bones of the lower jaw and sacrum

Renaissance and Reformation

RENAISSANCE and REFORMATION (1450-1600)

Otto Brunfels (1530s) often called a father of botany, because,

in his botanical writings, he relied

not so much on the ancient authors as on his own observations and described plants

according to the latter

Leonhart Fuchs (1530)

Errata recentiorum medicorum ("Errors of recent doctors“), his first publication, in which he argued

for the use of "simples" (herbs) rather than the

noxious "compounds" of

arcane ingredients concocted in

medieval medicine

Heironymus Bock (1539)

The first edition of his Kreutterbuch ("plant book")

appeared in 1539. He described

German plants, including their

names, characteristics, and

medical uses. He developed his own system to classify

700 plants

Andreas Vesalius (1543) inaugurated the modern era of Western

medicine with his treatise De humani

corporis fabrica, which was based on

dissection of corpses. He was the first in a series of anatomists

who gradually replaced scholasticism with

empiricism in physiology and

medicine, relying on first-hand experience rather than authority

and abstract reasoning

Modern Era

MODERN ERA (1600 onwards)

1628 1665 1667-1674 1673 1730

William Harvey- English

physician who was the first to

describe correctly and in

detail the systemic

circulation and properties of blood being

pumped to the body by the

heart. Harvey's De motu cordis in 1628 was the beginning of the end for Galenic

theory.

Robert Hooke- published the

seminal Micrographia

based on observations with his own compound

microscope in 1665

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek- Father of microbiology.

- best known for his work on the improvement of the microscope

and for his contributions towards the

establishment of microbiology

Jan Swammerdam- the first to

observe and describe red blood cells

- was one of the first people to

use the microscope in

dissections- His work on

insects demonstrated

that the various phases during the life of an

insect

Carolus Linnaeus- laid the

foundations for the modern scheme of binomial

nomenclature. He is known as

the father of modern

taxonomy

19th Century: Emergence of Biological Disciplines

cytology

bacteriology

morphology embryology

geography

geology

20th Century biological sciences

BI O L O

GY

21st Century biological sciences

ecology & environmental

science

biochemistry, microbiology & molecular

biology

biotechnology, genetic

engineering & genomics

Classical genetics, modern synthesis & evolutionary theory

bioinformatics

biophysics

theoretical biology computational genomics

astrobiology

Synthetic biology