Leeuwenhoek: scientist who saw ‘animalcules’

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and a drawing of animalcules   Some discover their aptitude for science by natural curiosity, which causes them to investigate their surroundings. In doing so they find many hidden secrets that only curiosity like theirs could have revealed. However, an inquisitive nature alone doesn’t make one a scientist. Explorers, adventurers, reporters, and criminal investigators all lead lives based on it too. Something special happens when curiosity is coupled with an empirical mind. That combination begins to approach the scientific method. The only thing left is to provide a record of findings so that other scientists can attempt to falsify the results.   Scientist By Nature Antonie van Leeuwenhoek did all of this and more. He used the scientific method to unearth the existence of previously unseen organisms, and he was in regular correspondence with the Royal Society in London, discussing his findings. Leeuwenhoek was a businessman by trade, but a scientist by nature. His skill in grinding glass allowed him to produce single-lens microscopes that could magnify over 200 times.  On 17th September 1683, Leeuwenhoek was the first to report the existence of bacteria seen through his microscopes. He called them little “animalcules”. He achieved clearer and brighter images than any of his scientific fellows would achieve for centuries. This led to doubts and questions about the certainty of what he claimed to have seen. It wasn’t until 1981 that ...
Source: GIDEON blog - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Microbiology News Source Type: blogs