Brief History of Biology Flashcards

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards covering the major figures and milestones in the history of biology, from Aristotle to the discovery of DNA.

Who is known as the Father of Biology and utilized empirical methods to study natural history?

Aristotle

What specific living characteristic did Aristotle identify through his empirical methods?

Reproduction

What discovery did Claudius Galenus make regarding the contents of arteries?

They carry blood, not air.

Galen demonstrated that the brain controls the voice by tying off which specific nerves?

The recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN)

How did Claudius Galenus demonstrate the functions of the kidney and bladder?

By tying off the ureters

Upon which animals did Claudius Galenus perform dissections to study anatomy?

Barbary macaques, pigs, sheep, and goats

How many pairs of cranial nerves did Galen distinguish in his anatomical studies?

$$7$$

What was Ibn Sina's significant statement regarding Phthisis (Tuberculosis)?

It was contagious.

Ibn Sina was the first to describe which condition related to the carotid sinus?

Carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH)

Which psychiatric disorders were described by Ibn Sina?

Anxiety, depression, bipolar, PTSD, and schizophrenia

What are the titles of the two famous medical books published by Ibn Sina?

“The Canon of Medicine” (Al-Qanun fi al-tibb) and “Book of the Cure” (Kitab al-shifa)

How did Andreas Vesalius correct Galen's claim about the number of segments in the human breastbone?

He showed it consists of $3$ segments instead of $7$.

According to Andreas Vesalius, which bones are actually longer than the humerus?

The femur, tibia, and fibula of the shin

What was the title of Andreas Vesalius's celebrated 1543 medical work?

“The Seven Books on the Structure of the Human Body” (De Humani Corporis Fabrica)

What kind of specimens did Andreas Vesalius use for his dissections that allowed for corrections of earlier Greek theories?

Human cadavers

Who was the first person to use the term 'cell' in biology in 1665?

Robert Hooke

What did Robert Hooke describe as 'honeycomb cavities' while observing cork?

Cells

What specific crystalline shape did Robert Hooke illustrate for snowflakes?

Hexagonal crystalline

What type of telescope did Robert Hooke build that provided upright images?

Gregorian reflecting telescope

What is the name of the book published by Robert Hooke in 1665 containing 'Small Drawings'?

Micrographia

What term did Anton Van Leeuwenhoek use to describe the microorganisms he found in rainwater and pond water?

Animalcules

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe which two types of microscopic life in 1675?

Protozoa and bacteria

From which four sources did Anton Van Leeuwenhoek describe spermatozoa in 1677?

Insects, dogs, rabbits, and man

Who is known as the Father of Taxonomy?

Carolus Linnaeus

What is the name of the two-part system for naming organisms framed by Carolus Linnaeus?

Binomial nomenclature

Which three 'kingdoms' did Carolus Linnaeus classify?

Plant, animal, and mineral

What was the name of the book published by Carolus Linnaeus around 1700?

Systema Naturae

Who is recognized as the Father of Genetics for his work on inheritance?

Gregor Mendel

Which organism did Gregor Mendel study to discover the principles of heredity?

Pea plants

What was Gregor Mendel’s major contribution to the methodology of Science in 1865?

He laid the mathematical foundation in Science.

Who is referred to as the Father of Microbiology?

Louis Pasteur

What theory did Louis Pasteur develop to explain zoonotic diseases like chicken cholera?

Germ theory

Louis Pasteur developed vaccines against which two major conditions?

Anthrax (sepsis complications) and rabies (affecting central nervous system)

Who pioneered the evolutionary theory by natural selection in the 1859 book 'On the Origin of the Species'?

Charles Darwin

Which specific group of birds from the Galapagos Archipelago provided evidence for Darwin's theory?

Finches

Who was the co-founder of evolutionary theory by natural selection alongside Darwin?

Alfred Russel Wallace

What is the 'Wallace Line'?

An invisible biogeographic boundary that separates the fauna of Asia and Australia.

The Wallace Line identifies a sudden change in fauna after crossing a strait between which two islands?

Bali and Lombok

What is the approximate width of the strait between Bali and Lombok that Alfred Russel Wallace noticed?

$$35\,km$$

James Watson and Francis Crick are famous for discovering what structure in 1953?

The double helix (twisted-ladder structure) of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)