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Past discoveries and recent research

Landmark discoveries across eras and regions, alongside well-cited papers published in recent weeks.

Historical discovery1969
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
United Kingdom · Chemistry
Determined the three-dimensional structure of insulin by X-ray crystallography.
Historical discovery1789
Antoine Lavoisier
France · Chemistry
Published the Traité élémentaire de chimie, stating the conservation of mass in chemical reactions.
Historical discovery1888
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Spain · Biology
Showed that the nervous system is made of separate nerve cells, supporting the neuron doctrine.
Historical discovery1898
Marie Curie
Poland / France · Chemistry
Discovered the elements polonium and radium with Pierre Curie.
Historical discovery1940
Howard Florey
Australia / United Kingdom · Medicine
With Ernst Chain and colleagues, purified penicillin and showed that it cures infections.
Historical discovery1610
Galileo Galilei
Italy · Astronomy
Observed four moons of Jupiter through a telescope and reported them in Sidereus Nuncius.
Historical discovery132 CE
Zhang Heng
China · Engineering
Built the first known seismoscope to detect the direction of distant earthquakes.
Historical discovery1918
Emmy Noether
Germany · Mathematics
Proved Noether's theorem, linking symmetries in physics to conservation laws.
Historical discovery1911
Ernest Rutherford
New Zealand / United Kingdom · Physics
Proposed that the atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.
Historical discovery1950
Barbara McClintock
United States · Biology
Reported transposable elements ('jumping genes') in maize.
Historical discovery1869
Dmitri Mendeleev
Russia · Chemistry
Arranged the elements in a periodic table and predicted elements not yet discovered.
Historical discovery1963
Allan Cormack
South Africa / United States · Physics
Published the mathematical basis of computed tomography (CT scanning).

Recent research lists well-cited journal articles from the last 60 days in OpenAlex, with titles as published. Countries use present-day names.

Past discoveries and recent research

Landmark discoveries across eras and regions, alongside well-cited papers published in recent weeks.

Historical discovery1969
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
United Kingdom · Chemistry
Determined the three-dimensional structure of insulin by X-ray crystallography.
Historical discovery1789
Antoine Lavoisier
France · Chemistry
Published the Traité élémentaire de chimie, stating the conservation of mass in chemical reactions.
Historical discovery1888
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Spain · Biology
Showed that the nervous system is made of separate nerve cells, supporting the neuron doctrine.
Historical discovery1898
Marie Curie
Poland / France · Chemistry
Discovered the elements polonium and radium with Pierre Curie.
Historical discovery1940
Howard Florey
Australia / United Kingdom · Medicine
With Ernst Chain and colleagues, purified penicillin and showed that it cures infections.
Historical discovery1610
Galileo Galilei
Italy · Astronomy
Observed four moons of Jupiter through a telescope and reported them in Sidereus Nuncius.
Historical discovery132 CE
Zhang Heng
China · Engineering
Built the first known seismoscope to detect the direction of distant earthquakes.
Historical discovery1918
Emmy Noether
Germany · Mathematics
Proved Noether's theorem, linking symmetries in physics to conservation laws.
Historical discovery1911
Ernest Rutherford
New Zealand / United Kingdom · Physics
Proposed that the atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.
Historical discovery1950
Barbara McClintock
United States · Biology
Reported transposable elements ('jumping genes') in maize.
Historical discovery1869
Dmitri Mendeleev
Russia · Chemistry
Arranged the elements in a periodic table and predicted elements not yet discovered.
Historical discovery1963
Allan Cormack
South Africa / United States · Physics
Published the mathematical basis of computed tomography (CT scanning).

Recent research lists well-cited journal articles from the last 60 days in OpenAlex, with titles as published. Countries use present-day names.