Journey to the Microcosmos: The Story of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
Videos are generally available for preview to non-members as short clips. Limited full-length titles are also available. Log In to view the full length title.
Browse Full-length Non-member Titles
"Journey to the Microcosmos: The Story of Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg" explores the life and scientific legacy of 19th-century German naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, a pioneer of microbiology and micropaleontology. The video explains how early microscopy relied on detailed scientific illustration to document microbes such as diatoms, rotifers, fungi, plankton, and bacteria before modern cameras existed. It highlights key concepts including spores, spontaneous generation, microbial fossils, sediments, silica casings, biodiversity, and microscope technology, while also showing how Ehrenberg’s drawings compare with modern microscope video. The episode connects biology, Earth science, and the history of science, emphasizing how observation, classification, and visual documentation helped shape understanding of the microscopic world. Part of the "Journey to the Microcosmos" series.
Media Details
Runtime: 11 minutes, 31 seconds
- Topic: Biographies, Science
- Subtopic: Biography, Biology, Microbiology, Microscopy, Paleontology, Science Experiments
- Grade/Interest Level: 9 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2020
- Producer/Distributor: Complexly
- Series: Journey to the Microcosmos
- Report a Problem
Related Media
Journey to the Microcosmos: Meet the Microcosmos
Journey to the Microcosmos: How Microscopic Hunters Get Their Lunch
Journey to the Microcosmos: Stentors--Single-Celled Giants
Journey to the Microcosmos: How Do Microorganisms Reproduce?
Journey to the Microcosmos: Where Did Eukaryotic Cells Come From?
Journey to the Microcosmos: Tardigrades--Chubby, Misunderstood, & Not Immortal
Journey to the Microcosmos: How Do Protozoa Get Around?
Journey to the Microcosmos: Diatoms--Tiny Factories You Can See From Space
Journey to the Microcosmos: Mysterious Jiggly Crystals and Other Intracellular Structures
Journey to the Microcosmos: How Do Colonies Help Microorganisms Survive?