Otto Bütschli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Otto Bütschli
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Otto Bütschli in 1916
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| Born | 3 May 1848 |
| Died | 2 February 1920 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Heidelberg |
| Awards | Linnean Medal (1914) |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | Rudolf Leuckart |
| Doctoral students | Wladimir Schewiakoff Richard Goldschmidt |
Johann Adam Otto Bütschli (born May 3, 1848 – died February 2, 1920) was a German zoologist. He was also a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He studied tiny creatures without backbones, called invertebrates. He also looked at how insects grow and change. He was the first scientist to see and name the structures we now call chromosomes. He also identified many groups of very tiny living things called protists.
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Life and Education
Otto Bütschli was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He started his studies in Karlsruhe. There, he learned about mineralogy (rocks and minerals), chemistry, and paleontology (fossils). He even worked as an assistant for Karl Alfred von Zittel, a famous geologist.
In 1866, he moved to Heidelberg. He worked with Robert Bunsen, a well-known chemist. Otto Bütschli earned his PhD from the University of Heidelberg in 1868. He passed exams in geology, paleontology, and zoology.
Early Career
After getting his PhD, Bütschli joined Rudolf Leuckart at the University of Leipzig in 1869. He paused his studies to serve as an officer in the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871. After the war, he worked in his own private lab. Then, for two years (1873-1874), he worked with Karl Möbius at the University of Kiel.
Becoming a Professor
Otto Bütschli continued to work on his own for a while. In 1876, he completed a special qualification called "Habilitation." This allowed him to teach at a university. In 1878, he became a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He took over from Alexander Pagenstecher. Bütschli held this important position for more than 40 years.
Scientific Discoveries
Otto Bütschli made several important discoveries in biology. He was very interested in tiny living things.
Discovering Chromosomes
One of his biggest achievements was being the first scientist to recognize structures inside cells that we now call chromosomes. Chromosomes are like tiny packages of information inside every living cell. They carry the instructions that tell our bodies how to grow and work. Seeing and understanding these structures was a huge step in biology.
Studying Tiny Creatures
Bütschli spent a lot of time studying invertebrates. These are animals without a backbone, like insects and worms. He also focused on how insects grow and develop from eggs to adults. He was especially good at identifying and classifying protists. Protists are a very diverse group of tiny organisms, many of which are single-celled. He helped us understand many of these microscopic life forms for the first time.
