a Dutch biologist and microscopist. His work on insects demonstrated that the various phases during the life of an insect—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—are different forms of the same animal.

an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897.

a Russian chemist and inventor. He is best known for formulating the Periodic Law and creating a version of the periodic table of elements.

a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of official Soviet style.

an Italian poet, classical scholar and an emblematic figure of Italian literature in the late nineteenth century

a German logician and mathematician, whose work has major implications for the foundations of mathematics