Summary
In Antiquity, scholars such as Archimedes and Hypatia of Alexandria studied mathematics, physics and the sky, although the idea that the Earth stood still at the centre of the universe (Ptolemy's model) lasted almost 1,400 years. In 1543 Copernicus proposed that the Earth goes round the Sun; Galileo backed him with his telescope and the Inquisition put him on trial in 1633. Newton completed this Scientific Revolution in 1687 with universal gravitation: the same force makes an apple fall and keeps the Moon in its orbit.
Since then science has relied on observing, experimenting and measuring. Lavoisier founded modern chemistry by showing that mass is conserved; Darwin explained evolution by natural selection (1859); Mendel, the laws of inheritance; Mendeleev arranged the elements in the periodic table, and Pasteur proved that many diseases are caused by microbes. In the 20th century, Marie Curie studied radioactivity, Einstein changed our idea of space and time, Fleming discovered penicillin and Rosalind Franklin photographed DNA. In Spain, Ramón y Cajal, Severo Ochoa and Margarita Salas stand out.
Key points
- Archimedes: the principle of buoyancy ("Eureka!").
- 1543: Copernicus puts the Sun at the centre (heliocentrism).
- 1633: the Inquisition tries Galileo.
- 1687: Newton, universal gravitation and the laws of motion.
- Lavoisier: mass is conserved; modern chemistry is born.
- 1859: Darwin, evolution by natural selection.
- 1869: Mendeleev arranges the periodic table.
- Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
- 1928: Fleming discovers penicillin.
- 1953: the DNA double helix, thanks to Rosalind Franklin's photo.