Ernst Haeckel Inspired by Nature

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Ernst Haeckel was a doctor, marine zoologist, botanist, photographer, and an artist. He was well respected but controversial because of his beliefs in evolution. According to Edward Thomas Browne of the Linnean Society, Haeckel is responsible for many common zoology terms such as: Ontogeny, Phylum, Protozoa, Protista, Metazoa, Plankton, Coelom, and Gastrula.

[...]he was a prodigious and vigorous worker. Students flocked to his classrooms at Jena, and his courses of semi-popular lectures on Evolution were fully attended by all sorts and conditions of people, from far and near. In the prime of life he was a fine, handsome man, with a strong but charming personality, fearless in expressing his Evolutionary views, which were by no means favourably received by the multitude, and attempts were even made to eject him from his Chair of Zoology.

This publication includes biographical information from many sources along with 35 Plates that illustrate Radiolaria from his 1862 publication, Die Radiolarien eine Monographie, a few from Report on the Radiolaria collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 and ten plates from from Kunstformen der Natur.

Creating Something Grand from Something Microscopic

In addition to his works, you will also find highlighted a work by Rene Binet, the entrance of the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. Binet modeled the entrance after the Clathrocanium reginae. When you consider that microscopic sea fauna inspired a structure that used about 192 tonnes of metal and cost about 676,000 French fr., it certainly is worth viewing these illustration to see how they might be of inspiration to you.

Radiolaria are silica secreting zooplankton. Their size can range from about 100 micrometers to what is considered a very large size of 1-2 mm. The weight gained during maturation of a single Radiolarian is 0.1 micrograms. The dimensions of the Clathrocanium reginae are, in millimeters: cephalis 0.03 long and 0.04 wide with a thorax that measures 0.08 long and 0.12 wide. An image is included in the upcoming pages.