I've never come across this gentleman before until tonight. I recently picked up a book by Robert O. Becker called "The Body Electric," and it touches upon the fascinating topic of animal regeneration, particularly of ligaments. This René fellow, René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, was one hell of a guy.

After digging in a bit about him, I just had to make a list of all his accomplishments because I find them not only incredible but also incredibly important - many of which we may take for granted today:

Invented the Réaumur thermometer and developed the Réaumur temperature scale (freezing point at 0° and boiling point at 80°).

Published the first scientific description of animal regeneration in 1712, detailing how animals like crayfish regrow lost parts.

Isolated gastric juice from the stomach and demonstrated its digestive function, pioneering research in digestive physiology.

Explored alternative silk production by studying the silk glands of non-traditional caterpillars and spiders. Proposed the use of spider silk for luxury textiles, though the concept proved impractical for large-scale production.

Re-discovered the ancient royal purple dye from the mollusk murex trunculus, reviving knowledge of this prestigious and historical dye.

Improved the forging process of iron, advancing metallurgy and contributing to the production of malleable iron.

First to elucidate the social life and sexually divided caste system of bees.

Conducted experiments on the chemical properties of lime and mortar, which benefited construction techniques.

Invented egg incubators to artificially hatch eggs under controlled conditions, benefiting agriculture and farming.

Developed imitation pearls using fish scales, making ornamental pearls more affordable and accessible.