Stumped by this crossword clue? Meet the legendary German bacteriologist!

The answer to the crossword question “Eponymous German bacteriologist is PETRI” refers to Julius Richard Petri, a German bacteriologist who is widely known for inventing the Petri dish. Petri was born on May 31, 1852, in Barmen, Germany. He studied medicine at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Akademie in Berlin and later became an assistant to Robert Koch, a renowned microbiologist. In 1887, Petri created a shallow, flat, cylindrical dish, now known as the Petri dish, which revolutionized microbiological research by allowing for the isolation and culturing of bacteria and other microorganisms. This invention became an essential tool in laboratories worldwide and is still widely used today. Petri made significant contributions to the field of bacteriology and his work has had a lasting impact on microbiology.