It began with a shark’s head
In 1666 fisherman off the coast of Livorno caught a large shark and presented it to Niels Steensen’s benefactor, Grand Duke Leopold II, who decided that Steensen should dissect the shark. Steensen published his observations in a short treatise, Canis…
Niels Stensen and geology 1 (paleontology, stratigraphy and crystallography)
by Elsebeth Thomsen An extraordinary career began when Niels Stensen, also known as Nicolaus Stenonis or Steno, was admitted in 1656 to the University of Copenhagen. He became a famous scientist, not only because of his many important discoveries in…
Niels Stensen and geology 2
In 1660, Steno went to Holland in order to get a doctoral degree in medicine. Besides his discovery of ductus stenonianus, he delivered a small thesis on hot springs, ”Disputatio Physica De Thermis”, at the University of Amsterdam the same year…
Niels Stensen and geology, 3
Steno´s scientific pursuits were briefly interrrupted by his decision on 2 November 1667 to become a Catholic. He resumed his fieldwork the day after his confirmation on 8 December 1667. He first went to Pisa collecting fossil shells along the…
