The son of a well known book publisher, Spemann was born on June 27, 1869, in Stuttgart, Germany. He was the eldest of four children in a family which was socially and culturally active, and lived in a large home that was well stocked with books (which helped shape the young Spemann's intellect). Upon entering the Eberhard Ludwig Gymnasium, Spemann first wished to study the classics. He later turned to embryology--the branch of biology that focuses on embryos and their development.

He entered the University of Heidelberg in 1891 to study medicine, however, his strict interest in medicine lasted only until he met German biologist and psychologist Gustav Wolff at the University of Heidelberg. Only a few years older than Spemann, Wolff had begun experiments on the embryological developments of newts and had shown how, if the lens of an embryological newt's eye is removed, it regenerates. Spemann remained interested and...