T. H. Huxley (1825-1895)

Thomas Henry Huxley, FRS was an English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his defence of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. His scientific debates against Richard Owen demonstrated that there were close similarities between the cerebral anatomy of humans and gorillas. Huxley did not accept many of Darwin's ideas, such as gradualism and was more interested in advocating a materialist professional science than in defending natural selection. A talented populariser of science, he coined the term "agnosticism" to describe his stance on religious belief. He is credited with inventing the concept of "biogenesis", a theory stating that all cells arise from other cells and also "abiogenesis," describing the generation of life from non-living matter.