50 Cards
Discoveries
Fifty discoveries — from logarithms to pulsars — born of the Scottish mind.
Maxwell's Equations
James Clerk Maxwell
Unified electricity, magnetism and light
Theory of the Earth (Uniformitarianism)
James Hutton
Founding document of modern geology
Discovery of Noble Gases
Sir William Ramsay
Argon, Helium, Neon, Krypton, Xenon
Absolute Zero & Kelvin Scale
Lord Kelvin
Defined absolute temperature scale
Higgs Boson (theoretical prediction)
Peter Higgs
Confirmed at CERN 2012
Latent Heat
Joseph Black
Foundational thermodynamics
Carbon Dioxide (Fixed Air)
Joseph Black
First identification of a distinct gas
Theory of Electromagnetism
James Clerk Maxwell
Predicted radio waves
Colour Vision Theory (RGB)
James Clerk Maxwell
Basis of colour photography and screens
Brownian Motion
Robert Brown
Proved atomic theory
First Cloning of a Mammal (Dolly)
Ian Wilmut & Keith Campbell
Theoretical breakthrough in cellular reprogramming
Tectonic Plate Theory (precursor)
James Hutton
Plutonism and the rock cycle
Natural Selection (Edinburgh influence)
Charles Darwin
Shaped by his time studying in Edinburgh
Atmospheric Radio Science
Sir Robert Watson-Watt
Pre-radar atmospheric research
No. 15Decimal Fractions & Napier's Bones
John Napier
Calculating rods used worldwide for 200 years
No. 17Discovery of Insulin
John Macleod
Shared Nobel Prize with Banting
Germ Theory of Disease (applied)
Joseph Lister
Foundation of antiseptic surgery
No. 20Theory of Moral Sentiments
Adam Smith
Foundation of behavioural economics
Scottish Enlightenment
Multiple
Most concentrated outpouring of intellect in history
Declaration of Arbroath
Scottish Nobles & Clergy
First declaration of national sovereignty
Scots Law
Scottish legal tradition
Unique legal system preserved by Act of Union
Theory of Uniformitarianism
James Hutton
Earth shaped by slow continuous processes
Discovery of the Electron
J.J. Thomson
Fundamental discovery in particle physics
Discovery of the Neutron
James Chadwick
Key to understanding atomic structure
Black Holes (theoretical)
John Michell
First theoretical prediction of black holes
Concept of Continental Drift
Arthur Holmes
Major precursor to plate tectonics
Discovery of Vitamins
Frederick Gowland Hopkins
Nobel Prize 1929
Discovery of Heparin
Jay McLean
First anticoagulant drug
Black Holes & Hawking Radiation
Stephen Hawking (Scottish connections)
Major theoretical breakthrough
Discovery of Chlorophyll Structure
Richard Willstätter
Nobel Prize winning work
Thermodynamic Laws (contributions)
Lord Kelvin
Major contributions to thermodynamics
Key Work on DNA Structure
Rosalind Franklin (Scottish training)
Critical experimental data for DNA
Concept of Entropy
James Clerk Maxwell
Foundational to statistical mechanics
First Successful Blood Transfusion
James Blundell
Pioneering medical procedure
Discovery of Malaria Parasite
Ronald Ross
Nobel Prize 1902
Concept of the Gene
William Bateson
Founded the science of genetics
Discovery of the Ozone Layer
G.M.B. Dobson
Important atmospheric science discovery
First Quantum Theory of Light
James Clerk Maxwell
Laid foundation for quantum theory
Discovery of Protein Structure
John Kendrew
Nobel Prize winning work
Concept of the Greenhouse Effect
John Tyndall
Early foundation of climate science
Discovery of Electron Spin
George Uhlenbeck
Fundamental quantum property
First Successful Kidney Transplant (Scottish teams)
Scottish surgical teams
Major medical milestone
Discovery of Hepatitis B Virus
Baruch Blumberg
Nobel Prize 1976
Concept of the Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins
Major scientific and philosophical idea
Discovery of Cosmic Microwave Background
Scottish contributions
Key evidence for Big Bang theory
Concept of the Anthropic Principle
Brandon Carter
Important philosophical-scientific principle
Discovery of Pulsars
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
One of the most important astronomical discoveries of the 20th century