Student Article
How Scientists From Around the World Helped Shape Modern Science
Revolution (noun): A big, important change.
Theory (noun): An idea used to explain something.
The scientific revolution is often described as something that happened in Europe, led by thinkers like Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus. But in reality, science has always been shaped by many cultures.
Global contributions to Copernicus’s work
Copernicus, for example, used knowledge from Muslim and Jewish scientists. He included ideas and diagrams from Persian astronomers to explain how the planets move. Without these earlier scientists, Copernicus’s famous theory about the Sun being at the center of the universe might not have existed.
Aztec contributions to medicine
In Mexico, Aztec doctor Martín de la Cruz recorded how native plants could be used as medicine. His work mixed Aztec knowledge with European science and taught Europeans about plants they had never seen before.
African contributions to science
Another example is Graman Kwasi, an African man enslaved in South America. He discovered a local plant that could treat malaria. European scientists were so impressed that one named the plant “Quassia” after him. Kwasi’s discovery earned him his freedom.
A global scientific exchange
These examples show that scientific knowledge has always come from global exchange. It’s important to remember that modern science was built by people from all over the world — not just Europe.
© James Poskett / www.historyextra.com
Revolution (noun): A big, important change.
Theory (noun): An idea used to explain something.