Rachel Carson 
1907 - 1964

Rachel Carson was an American conservationist and marine biologist who is best known for advancing the modern global environmental movement.  Her controversial book, Silent Spring, brought attention to the dangerous effects she believed were caused by the use of synthetic pesticides.  The book ultimately inspired a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Articles

• http://www.famousscientists.org/rachel-carson/
  
• http://www.rachelcarson.org/
  
• http://www.fws.gov/northeast/rachelcarson/carsonbio.html
  
• http://ecotopia.org/ecology-hall-of-fame/rachel-carson/biography/
  

Videos

• The Journal: Rachel Carson's Legacy 
  
• Biography.com: Rachel Carson

Charles Darwin 
1809 - 1882

Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution based on natural selection.  Natural selection is the process in which the stronger organisms survive to reproduce and pass on their traits (genes), while the weaker do not.  Darwin spent five years at sea on the HMS Beagle (boat), where he observed an incredible diversity of animal and plant species.  When the Beagle reached the Galápagos Islands, he noticed that each species was uniquely adapted to its immediate environment.  This observation led him to ask the questions that became the basis of his scientific explanation: living things have evolved in an orderly manner over many generations, and continue to evolve today.  After 23 years of study, he published his theory of evolution in The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. 

Articles

• http://www.famousscientists.org/charles-darwin/
  
• http://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html
  
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/151902/Charles-Darwin
  
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml

Videos

• Greatest Discoveries: Darwin's Story
• Greatest Discoveries in Evolution: Natural Selection
• Biography.com: Charles Darwin

Robert Hooke 
1635 - 1703

Robert Hooke was an English physicist and inventor.  Hooke proved that both combustion (burning) and respiration (breathing) require air, and that sound does not travel in a vacuum.  He was one of the first men to build a Gregorian reflecting telescope and to suggest that Jupiter rotates on its access.  Hooke also studied numerous objects under microscopes and was the first to use the word cell to describe the patterns he observed.


Articles

• http://www.famousscientists.org/robert-hooke/
  
• http://www.biography.com/people/robert-hooke-9343172
  
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/hooke_robert_beavon_01.shtml
  
• http://www.roberthooke.com/

Videos

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuVofeYsJN
• Building a Life: Robert Hooke

Carl Linnaeus 
1707 - 1778

Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish naturalist who developed the modern classification system for naming plants and animals.  This classification system is called binomial nomenclature, which consts of two words, the first being the genus and the second the species.  For example, Homo sapiens, the scientific name of the human, is an example of binomial nomenclature.  His method of classification allowed for clear and easy descriptions of plants, animals and minerals. 


Articles

• http://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/linnaeus.html
  
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/linnaeus.html
  
• http://www.macroevolution.net/linnaeus.html#.Uje2f8akrMs
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/342526/Carolus-Linnaeus
  

Videos

• Greatest Discoveries: Classification of Species 
• http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/biographies/linnaeus/
  

Louis Pasteur
1822 - 1895

Louis Pasteur was a French chemist who founded modern microbiology.   Pasteur established that germs cause diseases and infections.  Before Pasteur, people believed that diseases were generated spontaneously.  However, Pasteur's experiments proved that microorganisms are the true cause of many diseases. 
His early work with fermentation led him to invent to process of pasteurization.  He developed vaccines for anthrax, chicken cholera, and rabies.


Articles

• http://www.famousscientists.org/louis-pasteur/
  
• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/scientists/louispasteur.html
  
• http://www.biography.com/people/louis-pasteur-9434402
  
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/445964/Louis-Pasteur
  

Videos

• About.com: Profile of Louis Pasteur 
• Biography.com: Louis Pasteur

James Watson & Francis Crick
(1928 -  ) & (1916 - 2004)

James Watson (American) & Francis Crick (British) are biologists who identified the structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid, otherwise known as DNA.  By analyzing the patterns cast by x-rays striking DNA molecules, they discovered that DNA has the structure of a double helix, two spirals linked together by bases in ladder-like rungs.  Their discovery formed the basis of molecular genetics.  By understanding the structure of DNA, we better understand ourselves and our families through the study of hereditary disease, and the evolution of human life. 

Articles

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/watson_and_crick.shtml
  
• http://www.biographyshelf.com/francis_crick_james_watson_biography.html
  
• http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/biographies/james-watson-and-francis-crick.shtml
  

Videos

• People and Discoveries: Watson and Crick Describe the Structure of DNA
• http://www.biography.com/people/james-d-watson-9525139
  
• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/watson-and-crick-discover-chemical-structure-of-dna

Today, we learned about how simple observations can lead us to questions, which can in turn, lead us to search actively for explanations (answers).  Science is a way to develop explanations for what we observe, using the evidence we gather through our own experiments, and through the experiments of other scientists.  In other words, science is a way to learn about everything we see, things we can't see (too small or too big), taste, touch, smell, and hear on (and outside of) our planet.  However, do keep in mind that scientific explanations can change in light of new evidence.  For example, when we think about how sharks move, we tend to assume that they swim (duh?).  But just a few days ago, scientists in Indonesia discovered a new species of walking shark that lives on the ocean floor, using its fins to "shuffle around, wiggling from side to side as it moves".  This walking shark, named hemiscyllium halmahera, has completely changed how we think about sharks. 100 years from now, a typical 7th grader will no longer imagine a blue, sharp toothed, swimming shark when hearing the word, "shark". Therefore, as scientists, it is important that we continue to observe, question, and seek explanations, even when we feel that we know everything there is to know about something... such as sharks!

Homework: Find out where Ms. Shon saw the Leafcutter ant on the class website (shonscience.com).
Due: 9/11/13