Posts Tagged ‘scientific discoveries’
The Pill in the Petunia Patch: When Birth Control Met Botany
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 10, 1981 On this day, the most deliciously scandalous horticultural revelation graced the pages of The Lancaster New Era. My dearest readers, prepare yourselves for a tale that will have tongues wagging…
Read MoreStephen Hales: The Botanist Who Measured Sap, Blood, and the Breath of Plants
The Stephen Hales Prize January 4, 1761 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English clergyman, botanist, and physiologist Stephen Hales. Stephen applied himself to many different areas of science. Stephen spent most of his life studying tree sap and blood flow. Do you know the direction sap flows in a plant? Stephen…
Read MoreJan Ingenhousz and the Discovery of Photosynthesis
Discovery of Photosynthesis December 8, 1730 Today is the birthday of the Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist Jan Ingenhousz (“ENG-in-house”). Jan made one of the most significant botanical discoveries in history: photosynthesis. Jan served as the personal physician to the royal Habsburg family in Austria. In 1771, Jan traveled to England with a group that…
Read MoreJean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan: The Sensitive Plant and the Birth of Chronobiology
Internal Circadian Clock November 26, 1678 Today is the birthday of the French geophysicist, astronomer, and most notably, chronobiologist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan. Mairan’s job as a chronobiologist is a job one rarely hears about these days. In 1729, Mairan put together an experiment showing the existence of a circadian rhythm in plants. Mairan…
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