Ernst Haeckel

Born in Potsdam in 1834, Ernst Haeckel was a German zoologist, physician, naturalist, and artist whose work shaped how many readers first encountered evolution. A professor at the University of Jena, he became one of the most energetic supporters of Charles Darwin in continental Europe and wrote widely for both scientific and general audiences.

Haeckel described and named thousands of species and introduced or popularized terms such as ecology, phylogeny, and phylum. He was fascinated by the relationships among living things and tried to map life as a branching tree, while his books and lectures helped spread evolutionary ideas far beyond academic circles.

He remains a complex historical figure. Alongside his scientific influence, some of his theories and social views are now regarded as deeply flawed or harmful. Even so, his beautifully detailed studies of organisms—especially radiolarians, jellyfish, and other marine forms—continue to attract readers interested in the meeting point of science, imagination, and visual art.