Name of Scientist
Traditional Belief Before
New Discovery
It is a sin to dissect human
bodies
Scientist’s Theory
Observations
Reaction from Community
Historical Impact
To completely understand
human anatomy, it is
necessary to dissect the
dead bodies of humans,
instead of just animals.
Dissected large numbers of
human bodies and made precise
sketches of what he saw.
Many accepted his ideas,
but he wrote a book to
defend his ideas against a
few powerful critics.
His work disproved many
ancient ideas about human
anatomy and helped begin
the modern sciences of
anatomy and physiology.
Food is turned into blood
in the heart. Arteries and
veins are empty and serve
as air tubes.
The same blood is
constantly recycled
through the heart.
Arteries and veins carry
the blood to and from the
heart, which acts like a
pump.
Observed that a bound artery
would fill with blood in the
section nearer the heart, while
the portion away from the heart
would empty.
Many physicians were
unwilling to accept the
idea that human blood is
constantly being recirculated through a closed
system of arteries and
veins.
His research is considered
the origin of the modern
science of physiology (the
study of how the body
functions)
Heaven is up, hell is
down, the stars are an
upside-down bowl in the
sky, and the sun rises and
sets in the ocean.
The earth is at the center
of the universe. The sun
orbits around it in a
perfect circle, as do all the
other planets in the sky.
Further out is a sphere of
stars that never move, and
beyond that is heaven.
Religion and common sense
supported this idea. After all,
wouldn’t God put his most
important creation (us) at the
center of everything?
These theories were almost
totally accepted, because,
after, all, it just made
sense.
No significant scientific
learning about the solar
system occurred for nearly
1500 years.
The earth is at the center
of the universe. It is fixed
in a permanent position,
with the sun and planets
revolving around it
(geocentric theory).
The earth and other
planets revolve around the
sun (heliocentric theory).
He spent over 25 years mapping
the locations of planets and
stars in the sky. Used complex
mathematics to prove his
theory. Published his findings
in the last year of his life so the
church couldn’t criticize him.
His ideas were rejected by
most people, many of
whom claimed that it
would take more than
mathematics to explain
how the planets move.
His theory provided the
foundation for the modern
science of astronomy (the
study of the planets).
Andreas Vesalius
(1514 – 1564)
William Harvey
(1578 – 1657)
Aristotle & Ptolemy
(400 B.C.E. &
100 A.D.)
Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473 – 1543)
Name of Scientist
Traditional Belief Before
New Discovery
Same as Copernicus
Scientist’s Theory
Observations
Reaction from Community
Historical Impact
Believed that Brahe’s data
would prove Copernicus’
theory.
Determined that certain
mathematical laws governed
planetary motion. Proved that
orbits are elliptical, as well as
Copernicus’ theory of
heliocentricity.
Published results, but
many found the
mathematical equations
too complex to understand
and felt they needed more
physical proof.
Since he worked alongside
Brahe, his own work also
contributed to the
advancement of
astronomy.
Celestial bodies (moons,
planets, stars) are perfect
spheres made up of ether
(a type of gas)
Only through precise
observations can one
determine what celestial
bodies are made of.
Used personally-built telescope
and observed that the moon was
not smooth, but had numerous
craters and high mountains.
Church officials refused to
accept his claims. Some
claimed that what appeared
in the lens of the telescope
were optical illusions.
Invention of the telescope
led to a series of important
astronomical discoveries:
Jupiter had moons, the sun
had large spots, and the
Earth did in fact revolve
around the sun.
Spirits and divinities
control the movement of
the planets.
The same force that pulls
an object to earth – like an
apple falling to the ground
– keeps the moon and
planets in orbit around the
sun.
Used complex mathematics to
demonstrate that any two
objects in the universe pull
toward each other.
Most scientists accepted
his ideas, thanks largely in
part to his expertise in
other fields. He was also
knighted by the Queen of
England.
His theories created the
foundation for many
scientific fields, including
astronomy, engineering,
and physics.
Mathematics and
philosophy should be
separate sciences.
Mathematics cannot
improve human’s
understanding of the
world around them.
He believed that
mathematics had limitless
potential to explain the
world around us, and to
make sense of natural and
universal laws.
Wrote several books in which
he attempted to prove the
connection between advanced
mathematics and the natural
laws.
During his lifetime, his
mathematical theories
were considered too
controversial. In later
years, however, his genius
would be more
appreciated.
He becomes known as the
father of Geometry thanks
to the connections that he
made between geometric
shapes and algebraic
equations.
Johannes Kepler
(1571 - 1630)
Galileo Galilei
(1564 – 1652)
Isaac Newton
(1642 – 1727)
Cogito
ergo
sum
René Descartes
(1596 – 1650)