These are two of the most important inventions known to mankind, one has helped map out the human body, discovered cures by isolating cells that cause them, the other has helped map out the universe. By the descriptions above these invaluable tools are known as the microscope and the telescope. Many medical and technological advances would not be possible without these two inventions. There are many discoveries that could be presented today, but instead this presentation will present a couple of these for each invention and how they challenged traditions and changed society for the good.
The invention of the microscope, more than any other invention, has helped us unlock the secrets of nature. The human eye can only see about to the thickness of a hair, but with the microscope, the whole world of microbiology and microorganisms became available. Knowledge replaced fantasy and humans arose from the dark ages to the age of discovery. The world of the microscope led to countless discoveries, and without the microscope the human race would still be relying on the limited amount of information their eyes could gather.
The continual improvement of the simple microscope throughout the 16th century led to great advances in biology and medicine, along with other fields of science. The toy invented for rich people to play with developed into an instrument responsible for the curing of many deadly diseases. The first results presented to the scientific community were those of the circulating blood system, which revolutionized the scientific and public view of how the human body functioned. The microscope led to the discovery of the cell, considered life’s building block, the bacteria that causes deadly diseases, as well as many other charact...
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...not have been considered for many years to come. Galileo’s method to openly publish his results and openly challenge the ruling power has been termed the beginning of the Scientific Revolution.
The telescope and the microscope both made of glass, amplified to see the heavens and the smallest micro-organism has led civilization out of the dark ages and allowed mankind to understand the human body, diseases, the solar system, and many other important discoveries. The importance of each of these incredible instruments cannot be explained in mere words. This paper has only touched the tip of the contributions made to mankind by brave men who using their instruments, advancing astronomy and medicine to unbelievable levels. As Victor Hugo, in Book 3 Chap. 3 of Les Miserables states, "Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the grander view?”
Galileo even as a boy seemed destined to challenge the scientific thought of the day. He has often been characterized as a pioneer of rebellion against authority. If that was true then he was only following in his father’s footsteps. His Father, a revolutionary man in the world of music who spoke out against the music theories of his day, was quoted as saying, "It appears to me that those who try to prove an assertion by relying simply on the weight of authority act very absurdly" (White, 196). Galileo continued in his father’s rebellion against contemporary views with his support of a helio-centric-universe, a view previously argued by Copernicus, but for the most part ignored by scientists for its contradiction with the established, church-endorsed system of Ptolemy.
Unlike today, where knowledge and technology improve at a relatively frenetic pace, the intellectual temper during the sixteenth century was quite different. People back then did not expect or imagine that great leaps and bounds would be made in the realm of knowledge and were instead rather conservative and tended to respect institutions of authority (Parry, 2). Because of this reality, people generally didn’t question authority or the status quo which produced a relatively slow and unimaginative pace in the terms of scientific exploration. In fact, many scientists were afraid to run too far away from what was considered main...
The scientific revolution can be considered one of the biggest turning points in European history. Because of new scientific ideas and theories, a new dawn of thinking and questioning of natural elements had evolved. Scientific revolution thinkers such as Newton, Galileo, and Copernicus all saw nature as unknowable and wanted to separate myths from reality. During the scientific revolution during mid 1500-late 1600s, key figures such as Isaac Newton and Nicolaus Copernicus greatly impacted Europe in terms of astronomical discoveries, scientific methods, and the questioning of God to challenge the church’s teachings.
Since Bacon and others pushed for a more empirical approach, numerous discoveries have been made. During this scientific revolution throughout the 16th century was categorized with big advances such as the making of new lenses by Galileo, Kepler and Huygens leading to new information about the stars and space, Magellan circumnavigating the earth, Columbus discovering the Americas, Gutenberg’s printing press advancing literature rapidly, and a religious reformation by Martin Luther that changed the church indefinitely (Graham, 2009). The scientific revolution continued far into the 17th century which was categorized with major findings in mathematics with Leibnitz and Newton independently discovering Calculus, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria, William Harvey published his findings on the circulatory system, Newton’s laws of motion, and continued work on understanding the universe (Wikipedia Selection for schools – 17th century, 2008/9). The 18th century saw the invention of the steam engine which opened up the way for steel production, the discovery of photosynthesis, and the spinning jenny leading to the industrial revolution (Wikipedia Selection for schools – 18th century, 2008/9). More inventions and discoveries epitomized the 19th century which saw m...
The Scientific Revolution, during the 16th and 18th centuries, was a time of conflict. It was not a hand-to-hand martial conflict. It was a conflict of advancement, similar to the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. However, it was between the thinkers of the Scientific Revolution, such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, and the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, the Catholic Church was the most powerful religious body in Europe. It controlled everything from education to faith to finances. Thinkers like Galileo took the risk and went against the church. This is shown through the documents below. Those documents tell the story of Galileo and how he was forced to revoke his support of heliocentrism by the church. The documents below also show the struggle between faith and reason that existed during this era of advancement by hindering the flourishment of the sciences by stating that it did not agree with the Bible and naming these early scientists as heretics.
More medical discoveries and advances are occurring every day. Medical treatments and understanding of the human anatomy have come a long way. Though if it weren’t for certain Anatomists, we may have not have had the right comprehension of the human body which could have led to errors in surgery and more deaths while treating patients. The Renaissance period was a time where Anatomists searched for clearer understanding of the human body. During the Renaissance period, Anatomists questioning and experimentation led to great discoveries of the human body.
” There are many small details that are only visible to the unscrupulous observer. When the obstacle of narrow-sightedness is overcome, there is more of a chance to capture such great discoveries. People need to realize that if they never take the time to stop and look around, appreciate the small things in life, they might miss out on important details and moments that the world has to offer. Scientists didn’t obtain their greatest discoveries by looking at the world with a closed mind. During the months of September through November, the leaves start to fall off the trees.
2). As a result, this scientific experiment changed the relationship of humankind and nature by foreseeing the modification of DNA of bacteria, yeast, plants, and animals to discover new medicines and to provide solutions for inherited diseases (Le Vine, 1999, p. 2).
The development in the late 19th century of techniques for staining cell parts enabled scientists to detect tiny cell structures that were not actually seen in detail until the advent of the electron microscope in the 1940s. The development of various advanced optical techniques in the 20th century also increased the detection power of the light microscope for observations of living cells.
The modern science view as well as the Scientific Revolution can be argued that it began with Copernicus’ heliocentric theory; his staunch questioning of the prior geocentric worldview led to the proposal of a new idea that the Earth is not in fact the center of the solar system, but simply revolving around the Sun. Although this is accepted as common sense today, the period in which Copernicus proposed this idea was ground-breaking, controversial, and frankly, world-changing. The Church had an immense amount of power, and was a force to be reckoned with; in the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, new scientific proposals and ideas were discouraged in many cases by the Church. A quote from Galileo’s Children does an excellent job summing up the conflict: “The struggle of Galileo against Church dogma concerning the nature of the cosmos epitomized the great, inevitable and continuing clash between religion and reason.” If evidence goes against scripture, the scientist is considered a heretic and is, like in Galileo’s case, forbidden to discuss the ideas any further. Galileo Galilei, who proposed solid evidence and theory supporting the heliocentric model, was forced to go back on his beliefs in front of several high officials, and distance himself from the Copernican model. This, luckily, allowed him to not be killed as a heretic, which was the next level of punishment for the crimes he was charged with, had he not went back on his beliefs. Incredible support was given through the young developing academies with a sense of community for scientists and academics; “Renaissance science academies represent a late manifestation of the humanist academy movement.” Since the Church was grounded traditionally evidence that went agains...
Before this revolution, the Roman Catholic church held a monopoly on most scientific research. The majority of scientists were monks or members of universities where a study of the natural world was viewed through the lens of Scripture. Even Copernicus 's studies of the rotation of the planets and his original heliocentric model of the universe were created to help the papacy build a better calender so that it could properly celebrate Easter. However, during and after the Scientific Revolution, philosophers and scientists began moving toward a belief that the spiritual world was outside of the physical world, and that religious beliefs should be considered separate from scientific study. This turn in thinking is seem in Galileo 's attempt to reinterpret the Bible to fit the new research being done. Despite the Church 's attempts to crack down on theories that contradicted its own beliefs, these new ideas permeated the society. After the Revolution, society had mostly turned to a belief that the Church and science were separate entities, and that religion was not over study of the natural
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, radical and controversial ideas were created in what would become a time period of great advances. The Scientific Revolution began with a spark of inspiration that spread a wild fire of ideas through Europe and America. The new radical ideas affected everything that had been established and proven through religious views. "The scientific revolution was more radical and innovative than any of the political revolutions of the seventeenth century."1 All of the advances that were made during this revolutionary time can be attributed to the founders of the Scientific Revolution.
The changes produced during the Scientific Revolution were not rapid but developed slowly and in an experimental way. Although its effects were highly influential, the forerunners Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes only had a few hundred followers. Each pioneered unique ideas that challenged the current views of human beingsí relationship with nature. With the backing of empirical observation and mathematical proof, these ideas slowly gained acceptance. As a result, the operation of society, along with prior grounds for faith were reconsidered. Their ideas promoted change and reform for humansí well-being on earth.
...es. Though technology has gotten humanity far, there is still a lot more information to be discovered. Without medical technology, many people would have died of diseases because of inadequate treatment. Therefore, technology has been a friend of humankind and will continue to be even a greater friend in the future.
The cell theory was not just created by one scientist at one point in time. The cell theory was discovered over the course over hundreds of years, by many scientists, some of whom have never been recorded. The three principles of the cell theory that are used today are: