Discover the leading researchers of the Renaissance and their ground-breaking findings. Discover the scientific developments that influenced this revolutionary time in history, from Copernicus’ heliocentric theory to Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical research.
Scientist | Discoveries |
Leonardo da Vinci | Anatomy, engineering, art |
Nicolaus Copernicus | Heliocentric theory of the solar system |
Galileo Galilei | Telescope observations, laws of motion |
Isaac Newton | Laws of motion, universal gravitation |
Johannes Kepler | Laws of planetary motion, elliptical orbits |
Andreas Vesalius | Modern anatomy, human dissection |
William Harvey | Circulatory system, heart’s function |
Robert Boyle | Boyle’s law, gas properties |
Antoine Lavoisier | Law of conservation of mass, chemical nomenclature |
Tycho Brahe | Astronomical observations, accurate planetary data |
Francis Bacon | Scientific method, empiricism |
René Descartes | Cartesian coordinates, analytic geometry |
Blaise Pascal | Probability theory, Pascal’s triangle |
William Gilbert | Magnetism, electrical research |
Leonardo Fibonacci | Introduction of Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe |
Paracelsus | Medical chemistry, alchemical practices |
Thomas Harriot | Moon observations, first drawing of a telescope |
John Napier | Invention of logarithms |
Johannes Gutenberg | Printing press, movable type |
Girolamo Cardano | Probability theory, solving cubic equations |
Nicholas of Cusa | Hypothesis of the universe’s infinite nature |
Michael Servetus | Discovery of pulmonary circulation |
Hieronymus Fabricius | Study of veins and valves in the human body |
Gerolamo Fracastoro | Theory of contagious diseases |
John Dee | Mathematician, astrologer, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I |
Gemma Frisius | Development of the triangulation method in surveying |
Ambroise Paré | Innovations in surgical techniques |
Pedro Nunes | Navigation and cartography advancements |
Simon Stevin | Decimal fractions, laws of hydrostatics |
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek | Microscopic observations, discovery of microorganisms |
Evangelista Torricelli | Invention of the barometer |
Christiaan Huygens | Wave theory of light, pendulum clock |
Athanasius Kircher | Inventions in microscopy and acoustics |
Robert Hooke | Cell theory, law of elasticity |
Edmond Halley | Calculation of the orbit of Halley’s Comet |
Maria Sibylla Merian | Pioneering work in entomology, scientific illustration |
Ole Rømer | Measurement of the speed of light |
Bartolomeo Eustachio | Discovery of the Eustachian tube in the human ear |