It could be said that the astronomer who placed the sun in the center of the solar system was Copernicus.
He developed the model of the universe that placed the Sun in the center rather than the Earth. It was considered the Copernican Revolution because of its contribution to science and the change of paradigm.
The seeds she planted in the mud grew quicker because the mud is holding nutrition for the corn. The soil is a good guess to make, but the mud is more dense and moist. The water wouldn't have had more nutrients than the mud, just because the mud holds breakdown matter and other things from other plants.