AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, (born October 24, 1632, Delft, Netherlands-died August 26, 1723, Delft), Dutch microscopist who was the first to observe bacteria and protozoa.

Detailed explanation-2: -Leeuwenhoek is universally acknowledged as the father of microbiology. He discovered both protists and bacteria [1]. More than being the first to see this unimagined world of ‘animalcules’, he was the first even to think of looking-certainly, the first with the power to see.

Detailed explanation-3: -Two men are credited today with the discovery of microorganisms using primitive microscopes: Robert Hooke who described the fruiting structures of molds in 1665 and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek who is credited with the discovery of bacteria in 1676.

Detailed explanation-4: -Van Leeuwenhoek discovered “protozoa”-the single-celled organisms and he called them “animalcules". He also improved the microscope and laid foundation for microbiology. He is often cited as the first microbiologist to study muscle fibers, bacteria, spermatozoa and blood flow in capillaries.