Ernst+Haeckel

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Ernst Heinrich Phillip August Haeckel

Born February 16th 1934

Died August 9th 1919

Ernst Haeckel also known as Von Haeckel was a firm supporter of the theory of Darwinism. While still following Darwin’s theory, Haeckel theorized that through the combination of basic elements life began with the lowest creatures which he considered protoplasmic entities with no nuclei called monera, and evolved into more advanced creatures. These he classified as animal, vegetable and “protista”. Though quickly proven wrong Von Haeckel insisted that monera still existed. In his later writings he was ultimately deplored by his fellow evolutionists.

Von Haeckel began his life in Prussia (Germany) and began studying at the University of Berlin where his teacher took him on expeditions where they studied marine biology. Haeckel was drawn to zoology because of his experiences with marine biology; instead he took a medical degree and soon after traveled to Italy and considered art as a career. While in Italy he followed his passion, and studied the single celled protozoan’s called radiolaria, where his theory of how life spontaneously evolved from crystalline formation’s.



The most important contribution to the theory of evolution was his speculation on heredity. Von Haeckel suggested that there was a method to heredity, and that outer conditions affected the motion of the molecules that make up protoplasm. Though Haeckel’s speculations for the most part were wrong, he raised a multitude of questions from his colleagues such as, whether or not all complex life developed from microscopic simple life forms, and whether systematic evolution was the process by which this happened and how that system worked.

Citations: Search Results. (n.d.). //IHM//. Retrieved January 18, 2013, from [] Haeckel, Ernst: -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). //Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. Retrieved January 18, 2013, from [] Ernst Haeckel (German embryologist) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). //Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. Retrieved January 18, 2013, from []

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