Though biology is generally regarded as a modern science with origins in the early to mid-nineteenth century, it drew on varied traditions, practices, and areas of inquiry beginning in antiquity. Both natural history and medicine flourished in the late middle ages, though work in these areas often proceeded independently. Without doubt the most outstanding contributor to natural history in the middle ages is Albertus Magnus (1206–1280), recognized for his superb botanical studies and for his work in physiology and zoology.

Other issues also had an impact on the development of biology in the 1500s. The introduction of printing around the middle of the century, the increasing availability of paper and the perfected art of the wood engraver, meant that illustrations as well as letters could be transferred to paper. In addition, after the Turks conquered Byzantium in 1453, many Greek scholars took refuge in the West. Thus, the scholars of the West had access to the scientific works of antiquity rather than indirectly through Arabic translations.