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Diamagnetism
John Tyndall is well known in the scientific community for his studies in diamagnetism, which is a form of magnetism that adheres to certain properties (Helmenstine, ThoughtCo). He began this study in November of 1849 while still pursuing his doctorate at the University of Marburg (Jackson, Annals of Science). He began these studies with a well-known German scientist, Hermann Knoblauch. -
Climate Science
John Tyndall is most well-known for his contributions to the study of climate science dating back to 1859. Tyndall had spent many years studying glaciers (in person, not in textbooks) and declared that thousands of years ago, Northern Europe was entirely engulfed in ice. Through his studies in radiant heat, he built on theories developed by Joseph Fourier to discover what we now know as the greenhouse effect. (History.org) -
Prayer Gauge Debate
Tyndall proposes a scientific experiment to gauge the effectiveness of prayer compared to science. His proposition closely aligned with Sir Henry Thompson, where patients with predictable mortality rates would be isolated in a particular part of the hospital and get special prayer requests. He then wanted to measure the mortality rates of those that received prayer requests against those that were treated merely by science. -
Science vs Religion
John Tyndall was elected the president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1874. That same year, he gave a speech at an annual association meeting that praised the work of evolutionary scientists, namely Charles Darwin, and emphasized the importance of the separation of religion and science.
