ROBERT BROWN: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND DISCOVERIES, WORKS - ARTE - 2024

Robert Brown (1773-1858) was a Scottish scientist who became known for his achievements in the field of botany. He is considered the father of cell theory, since through the study of plants he discovered the cell nucleus and the movement of cells, later known as the Brownian movement.

At that time his discovery was not understood, and although he himself knew that he was facing something unknown and important (which he considered the secret of life, the engine that moved all things on the planet), he could not raise a theory about it. However, his discoveries were later used by Einstein and others to come up with their own.

Robert Brown is considered the father of cell theory. Source: Maull & Polyblank

Although Brown did not complete his university studies, the years he dedicated to studying, writing or directing institutions in the branch of botany are worth the honorary degrees that were awarded to him, as well as his consideration as a botanist, since his contributions to taxonomy or systematization of species represented a milestone for this scientific branch.

Biography

Robert Brown was born on December 21, 1773, in Montrose, Angus, Scotland. He was the son of James Brown, an Episcopal reverend; and Helen Taylor, daughter of a Presbyterian minister.

He attended his local primary school and began studying medicine at Marischal College in Aberdeen, but dropped out because he and his family moved to Edinburgh in 1790.

Already in Edinburgh he resumed his medical studies at the university of this city, but was leaning more towards botany and natural history, interacting with experts on the subject.

In 1795, without completing the studies he had left two years earlier, he enlisted in the army to the Fencibles regiment, where he served as assistant surgeon and standard bearer.

During his time in the army he was sent to a place where there was not much military action, which allowed him to pursue his botanical studies.

At this time he met Sir Joseph Banks, one of the most important botanists in history, and became part of the Linnean Society, responsible for ordering and classifying plant and animal species.

Expedition to Australia

Five years later he left the army and accepted the position of naturalist on an expedition to Australia (then known as New Holland), to study the topography of the place on a ship called "Investigator", which was commanded by Matthew Flinders. This ship sailed the following year, in 1801.

Brown was recommended for this position by Sir Joseph Banks and was tasked with collecting as many plants, insects, and birds as possible, for which he was accompanied on his mission by a gardener and a botanical illustrator.

There he remained for almost 4 years while he was dedicated to collecting more than 3000 plant species (some studies indicate that there were more than 4000), and then he returned to Great Britain to dedicate himself to their study and classification.

However, on the return trip an accident occurred with one of the ships that carried part of the collection and the specimens that were on it were lost.

Despite this, Brown worked with the rest of the collected material and took five years to publish his work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen, where he systematically detailed more than 2000 species that he identified. Of these, more than half were unknown until then.

Consolidation in botany

In that same year (1810) Sir Joseph Banks appointed Brown as his librarian, and thanks to the publication of this work and the prestige and recognition achieved with it, Brown became part of the Royal Society, the Institute of France and of the order Pour le Merité.

Brown was later appointed head of the new Department of Botany in the British Museum's Department of Natural History, a position he held until his death.

Being part of the Linnean Society, for years he wrote articles for the magazine of this society called The linnean. Brown also served as president of this institution for four years.

Further studies and death

This researcher continued to carry out botanical studies all his life and in 1827 he noticed a movement in the pollen grains of the Clarkia Pulchella species under the microscope. This made us think that these grains were alive, since they were not moved by any type of external stimulation, but rather it was their own movement.

Put these grains under the lens and suspended in liquid, small particles were observed that made a movement without apparent direction or purpose, which he considered and described as the life that existed in the pollen, since it was part of a living being.

However, later he studied other plant species and different inorganic objects such as coal, glass, metal and dust under the microscope, in which he observed the same movement of small particles. Brown never theorized about what this movement could be, but he left his observations in writing.

In 1833 Brown published an article describing his findings and called these particles imperceptible to the human eye the "cell nucleus", a term that is still used in physics.

Robert Brown died on June 10, 1858 at the age of 84 while in London, England, a long way from his native land.

Contributions and discoveries

Species discovery

While still studying medicine but shaping up to botany, Brown discovered Alopecurus alpinus, a species of herb in the Scottish Highlands. This find was made in 1792.

Several of the Australian species discovered in his expedition owe their name to Brown, such as the eucalyptus brownii or Brown box, the banksia brownii and the moss tetrodontium brownianum.

Flora of Australia

The first and most complete compendium that exists on Australian flora (still today) was the one made by Brown. He discovered more than a thousand new species, and described and classified them in such a way that the document remains a current reference.

Systematization of species or taxonomy

In his main work (Introduction to the flora of New Holland) and in several of the articles that he published, Brown created an order or system of classification of species that had not been seen until then, and that is still used today in taxonomic science.

The existing system until then was improved by Brown including new classifications and taking into account characteristics that had not been considered, especially in the embryological field of plants that he managed to study through microscope observation.

Brownian movement

Undoubtedly, one of the main recognitions for this botanist was to describe the movement of what we know today as atoms and molecules, totally unknown at that time.

Although Brown was not the first or the only one to observe this movement, he was the one who could best describe it until then, taking into account the novelty that the microscope represented for the time and that it was not a very common object.

At the time of its discovery, Brown did not have the information necessary to explain what this movement was or what caused it, but his observations were necessary for Einstein to enunciate his cell theory and to demonstrate the existence of molecules in all objects, almost eighty years after Brown's publication.

In his honor, this movement is known as the Brownian movement and it was his greatest contribution, since it was not only for his scientific branch but also for physics, chemistry and many others.

Difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms

Brown dedicated his life to studying plants, all aspects of plants inside and out. According to the characteristics found in common, he classified them by groups that considerably facilitate their study.

Within this system he created one of his greatest contributions: it is the creation of a category of plants that distinguishes between angiosperms and gymnosperms, important for the study of plant reproduction. Botanists continue to use this categorization today.

Angiosperm plants are those that have their seeds inside the plant and not outside, exposed, as in gymnosperms.

The former are usually plants that have flowers or fruits, within which are their seeds; On the other hand, the latter have no flower or fruit and, therefore, their seeds are found on the surface of their trunk, leaves or any external part of the plant.

Sir Joseph Banks Library Donation

In 1820 Brown inherited the important bibliographic collection from Sir Banks. Later he donated this work to the British Museum (1827), whose department of Botany he directed.

Plays

Among Robert Brown's most prominent books, three of his works stand out especially: The Botanical History of Angus, An Introduction to the Flora of New Holland, and A Brief Information on My Microscopic Observations. Below we describe the most outstanding characteristics of each of these works.

The botanical history of Angus

This publication was the first article on botany that Brown wrote early in his career.

Introduction to the flora of New Holland

It is the result of the studies he carried out on all the species collected in his expedition to Australia, of which he only published one volume due to the small amount of sales he obtained.

Brief information from my microscopic observations

From this work arose one of the greatest scientific discoveries that Einstein later used to formulate his theory about the existence of the cell nucleus, made up of atoms and molecules.

References

1. "Robert Brown" (nd) in EcuRed. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from EcuRed: ecured.cu
2. "Robert Brown" (June 6, 2019) in Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com
3. 1831. The improvement in the study of cells (Robert Brown and the nucleus) »(nd) in Curtis Biology. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from Curtis Biology: curtisbiologia.com
4. Parra, S. "Robert Brown: he believed he had discovered the secret of life (and he almost did)" (May 26, 2014) in Engadget Science. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from Xataca Ciencia: xatacaciencia.com
5. Martínez Medina, N. «Robert Brown and the movement of particles» (May 25, 2012) in RTVE. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from RTVE: rtve.es
6. "August 1827: Robert Brown and Molecular Motion in a Pollen-filled Puddle" (2016) in American Physical Society (APS) physics. Retrieved on June 09, 2019 from APS physics: aps.org
7. "Robert Brown" (nd) in Famous Scientists. Retrieved June 09, 2019 from Famous Scientists: famousscientists.org