Life Stories | Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794-1871)

The empty shell of an Argonauta argo, at the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, England. This file was created by Emőke Dénes and uploaded by DenesFeri. Via Wikipedia Commons

The article from The Marginalian highlights the remarkable journey of Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794–1871), a French seamstress who became a pioneering marine biologist. After moving to Sicily, she developed an interest in natural history and focused her studies on the Argonauta argo, a species of octopus known for its delicate shell. To observe these elusive creatures, Villepreux-Power invented the aquarium, allowing her to conduct detailed studies and ultimately demonstrate that female argonauts produce their own shells. Her innovative research methods and discoveries significantly advanced the understanding of cephalopods and laid the groundwork for future studies on octopus intelligence.

Read the article from The Marginalian