Stanislas-Étienne Meunier

In 1864 he began work as an "assistant naturalist" to geologist Gabriel Auguste Daubrée (1814–1896), who was an important and lasting influence to Meunier's career.

In his studies of meteorites, he identified thirty chemical elements that could also be found in Earth-based rocks.

Referring to research of Gustav Kirchhoff (1824–1887) and Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811–1899) involving spectral analysis of the Sun, he stated that a unity of chemical composition existed in the Solar System.

[1] Meunier also performed important geological studies (general and experimental) of the Paris Basin.

Meunier was a prolific author, publishing more than 570 works that included around thirty books.