Fritz Goro (1901–1986) was a German-born American photojournalist who revolutionized the visual documentation of science and technology. Emigrating from Germany to the United States in the 1930s, he became a staff photographer for LIFE and later for Scientific American. Goro was a pioneer in the use of macrophotography and other technical innovations, creating striking images of phenomena rarely seen by the public—ranging from the splitting of uranium atoms to fetal development, lasers, DNA models, and crystal growth.
Among his most historically significant images are photographs of the Manhattan Project’s early stages, including rare views of plutonium and controlled nuclear reactions. His work often blurred the line between documentation and abstraction, making him one of the most influential science photographers of the 20th century.