Pioneered entomology. Documented the life cycles of 186 insect species, including the transformation of caterpillars to butterflies. Proved definitively that insects do not spontaneous generate from mud, as believed by most contemporaries. Published her findings (including her detailed paintings) in German instead of Latin, allowing the non-scientists to understand insects. Went on a self-funded scientific expedition of Surinam, unheard of for women of her time, becoming the first European to observe and record much of the plant and insect life there. One of the first naturalists to observe insects directly. (Maria Sibylla Merian)
