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Biography:
Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919) was a German biologist and philosopher who was
instrumental in popularizing Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution in German speaking
countries. Much of Haeckel's work was oriented towards trying to use evolution as a
principle for unifying all of science - he even hoped to include religion.
Haeckel was principally responsible for the idea that the developing fetus of every animal retraces the evolutionary steps which its species had taken through history. For example, a human fetus starts out as single cell, just like a one-celled creature. After a few days it becomes a hollow sphere, or bastula, mimicking the morphology of a sponge. Later it acquires gills and a tail, much like that of a fish. Eventually it takes on mammalian characteristics until, after about two months, it appears to look like a primate.
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Related Resources:
Evolution & Creationism...
Is evolution a science? Is creationism a science? What is science? Is there evidence for either? Religious fundamentalists often attack evolution, but rarely from a positions of really understanding what evolution is and how it works. This FAQ will not only teach you more about the nature of evolution and evolutionary theory, but it will also explain some of the more common complaints and where they go wrong.
