Question

why was van leeuwenhoek's discovery of the unknown such a milestone acheivement for the progress in microbiology?

Why was Van Leeuwenhoek's discovery of the unknown such a milestone achievement for the progress in microbiology? Watch the animation and write a response. Make sure to also comment on one of your classma responses. Your Initial Post and Response is due by July 14

Answer 1

Ans: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch microscopist who was the first to observe bacteria and protozoa. His researches on lower animals refuted the doctrine of spontaneous generation, and his observations helped lay the foundations for the sciences of bacteriology and protozoology.

Van Leeuwenhoek discovered "protozoa" - the single-celled organisms and he called them "animalcules". He also improved the microscope and laid foundation for microbiology. He is often cited as the first microbiologist to study muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa and blood flow in capillaries. He revolutionized biological science by exposing microscopic life to the world.

A brief account of his chief discoveries is presented below.

1674	The Infusoria - (Protist class in modern Zoology)
1676	The Bacteria (Genus Selenomonas - crescent shaped bacteria from human mouth)
1677	The Spermatozoa
1682	The banded pattern of muscular fibers
1687	Research on the coffee beans
Career	Ground over 500 lenses
Career	Created over 400 different types of microscopes.

So from all his achievements and discoveries Antonie Van Leeuweenhoek revolutinized the field of biological sciences.