Algae have played a crucial role in shaping our planet's atmosphere, as they transform CO
₂
into the oxygen we breathe. They contribute to building a sustainable future by aiding in the fight against climate change, providing new energy sources and essential resources for nutrition. NATHANAEL PRINGSHEIM (1823-1894), a pioneer of modern botany and a contemporary of Charles Darwin, revolutionized the understanding of biology. In his research on algae, Pringsheim revealed that sexuality was a fundamental principle even in organisms previously classified as "lower" life forms.

This book offers readers:

• exciting insights into the development of modern biology illustrated through Pringsheim's fascinating life and scientific achievements,



• the first-ever account of the Pringsheim family, persecuted in the Third Reich, and their contributions to the natural sciences,



• an enthralling narrative of the challenging journey to establish the first German marine biology research station on the island of Helgoland,



• an appealing showcase of large-scale artistic interpretations of microscopic worlds, created by Pringsheim, also a master of scientific illustration



• and last but not least, new perspectives on algae research, which is more relevant today than ever before.

Preface by the author

1  Influences: Science in transition
1.1  From a static to a dynamic world view

1.2  Schleiden and Schwann cell theory

1.3  Theory of evolution by Darwin and Wallace

1.4  German natural philosophy and idealistic morphology

1.5  Pringsheim's approach to research

2  Career:

The life of Nathanael Pringsheim

2.1  Childhood: Difficult school years together with Ferdinand Lassalle

2.2  Study, important teachers, and struggle for the doctorate

    2.2.1  From philosophy to medicine to botany

    2.2.2  The struggle for promotion

2.3  Political activities: March 1848

2.4  Scientific and personal achievements

2.5  Founder of one of the first botanical institutes

2.6  The last years in Berlin

2.7  Other founder activities

    2.7.1  Yearbooks for Scientific Botany

    2.7.2  German Botanical Society

    2.7.3  Reports of the German Botanical Society

2.8  Other members of the Pringsheim family

    2.8.1  The chemist Albert Ladenburg

    2.8.2  The physicists in the Pringsheim family

    2.8.3  The mathematician Alfred Pringsheim

    2.8.4  The biologist Ernst Georg Pringsheim

    2.8.5  Victims of the Nazi regime

3  Scientific work:

Archetypes of sexuality

3.1  Origins of sexuality in biology

3.2  Sexuality of plants

    3.2.1  Higher plants

    3.2.2  Lower plants

3.3  The sexual archetypes of algae

    3.3.1  Archetype I: Internal fertilization

    3.3.2  Archetype II: External fertilization

    3.3.3  Archetype III: Sexual-asexual generation change

3.4  Evolution of land plants: The importance of sexuality

    3.4.1  Variation I: Sexual dominance in mosses

    3.4.2  Variation II: Ssexual dominance in ferns

    3.4.3  Variation III: Protected sexuality in flowering plants

    3.4.4  On the advantage of sexual reproduction

3.5  Classification of Pringheim's work

4  Marine Biology:

Pringsheim's legacy on Helgoland

4.1  The exploration of the sea

    4.1.1  Helgoland: a marine biological hotspot

    4.1.2  Other European research stations

    4.1.3  The idea of a German research station

4.2  Biological Institute Heligoland

4.3  North Sea Museum

4.4  Botanical experimental garden

4.5  The Nathanael Pringsheim Foundation

5  Aesthetics:

Art forms of microscopy

6  Appendix
6.1  Literature

6.2  Image sources

6.2  About the author

Table of contents

Index