Biologists from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Germans Biologists of all time. This list of famous Germans Biologists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Germans Biologists.

1. #1

   

   Ernst Haeckel

   1834 - 1919

   HPI 79.9588 langs

   Ernst Haeckel is most famous for his work in comparative anatomy and evolutionary biology. He was a German biologist, naturalist,...Read moreShow less

   Ernst Haeckel is most famous for his work in comparative anatomy and evolutionary biology. He was a German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, and artist.

2. #2

   

   Maria Sibylla Merian

   1647 - 1717

   HPI 75.4164 langs

   Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-born naturalist and artist. She is most famous for her detailed paintings of insects and plants, and she...Read moreShow less

   Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-born naturalist and artist. She is most famous for her detailed paintings of insects and plants, and she was the first woman to publish a book of illustrations of insects.

3. #3

   

   Albrecht Kossel

   1853 - 1927

   HPI 75.2063 langs

   Albrecht Kossel was a German biochemist who was most famous for his work in determining the chemical composition of nucleic acids.

4. #4

   

   Peter Simon Pallas

   1741 - 1811

   HPI 73.9260 langs

   Pallas was a German naturalist who traveled to Russia in 1766 to study the flora and fauna. He is most famous for his discovery of the Amur...Read moreShow less

   Pallas was a German naturalist who traveled to Russia in 1766 to study the flora and fauna. He is most famous for his discovery of the Amur Leopard, which he found in the Russian Far East.

5. #5

   

   Harald zur Hausen

   1936 - 2023

   HPI 73.8566 langs

   Harald zur Hausen is most famous for his discovery of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer.

6. #6

   

   Theodor Schwann

   1810 - 1882

   HPI 72.8753 langs

   Theodor Schwann is most famous for his work on the cell theory and discovering that cells are the basic unit of life.

7. #7

   

   Matthias Jakob Schleiden

   1804 - 1881

   HPI 71.6150 langs

   Matthias Jakob Schleiden was a German botanist who is most famous for being the first person to describe the cell theory.

8. #8

   

   Hans Spemann

   1869 - 1941

   HPI 71.5658 langs

   Hans Spemann is most famous for his work in embryology. He was one of the first to experiment with transplanting cells from one embryo to...Read moreShow less

   Hans Spemann is most famous for his work in embryology. He was one of the first to experiment with transplanting cells from one embryo to another, and he discovered the phenomenon of twinning.

9. #9

   

   August Weismann

   1834 - 1914

   HPI 71.5044 langs

   August Weismann is most famous for his theory of the germ plasm, which states that the inheritance of traits is determined by the...Read moreShow less

   August Weismann is most famous for his theory of the germ plasm, which states that the inheritance of traits is determined by the transmission of information from generation to generation through the germ cells (eggs and sperm).

10. #10

    

    Katherine Oppenheimer

    1910 - 1972

    HPI 71.4718 langs

    German-American biologist and botanist (1910–1972)