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The international scientific community receives
several offers of magnetic interest from Chile. In fact, the world
famous group led by Chilean scientist Claudio Teitelboim, has set
up a low-profile, world- class project in theCenter for Scientific
Studies, in the southern city of Valdivia.
Astronomers, anthropologists, wild-life specialists,
botanists, naturalists geologists and even political scientists
all continue to be welcomed to Chile. The company of good wine always
makes science —as taught by Shakespeare and Galileo—
an easier discipline.
There are an important number of both Chilean and
foreign scientists —mainly naturalists— who have left
a long-lasting heritage of world-class research on local geology,
flora and fauna.
• José Ignacio Molina
(1740-1829), a Jesuit priest who went into exile by order of the
Spanish crown, wrote his master work “Natural History of
Chile”, which was published in Italy. Before dying he claimed:
“I wish I could drink some pure water from the Andes”.
• Claudio Gay (1800-1873),
aFrenchman who was hired by the Chilean government to record the
start of the young Republic, and as a sign of its identity, a
treaty on Chilean flora and fauna. His drawings of Chilean mammals,
birds and flowers, in addition to his well-documented explanatory
texts, are a phenomenal piece of scientific work.
• Ignacio Domeyko (1802-1889),
born in Poland and after being jailed following the Russian invasion
of his native land, accepted a post in Chile. He wrote on botany,
fauna and mainly on mineralogy. He was the Dean of the University
of Chile and initiated structural changes of enduring worth.
• Charles Darwin (1809-1882),
the English naturalist, spent two years in Chile and rode on horseback
in Patagonia; the Central Valley and crossed the Andes to Argentina.
He came on the Beagle with Captain Fritz Roy to conduct scientific
research. After visiting Chile, he went on to the Galápagos
Islands in Ecuador, before going back to Cambridge to develop
and write his theory on the evolution of the species.
• Rodulfo Phillipi (1808-1904),
born in Berlin, Germany, traveled all over Chilean territory and
made a tremendous contribution to the knowledge and development
of the botanical sciences in Chile.
Chile has developed some lines
of research which is attracting the attention of the international
scientific community. Botany; astronomy and physics do play a leading
role in several Chilean universities and particularly in the city
of Valdivia. The Center for Scientific Research is good example
of this visionary approach.
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