THE RECORD
What changed
Maxwell unified electromagnetism mathematically, Pasteur studied microbes and fermentation, and Mendel published pea-cross results.
EVIDENCE
What remains
Papers, notebooks, instruments and cultures preserve the formation of each theory.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
They became foundations for communication, infection control and genetics.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
Grouping them as foundations can erase different contexts and collaborators; Mendel's rediscovery was complex.