History of Science

Latest Articles

Science & Tech	A Brief History of the Astronomer's Chair From the mundane to the iconic, the physical to the symbolic, the striking presence of chairs in the history of science begs to be acknowledged and understood. Omar W. Nasim \| Mar 22
Environment	The Nuclear Fallout Maps That Revealed a Contaminated Planet The first global maps of the nuclear contamination of the world reinforced our understanding of the entire biosphere as a radically interconnected ecological space. Sebastian V. Grevsmühl / translated by Maya Judd \| Mar 12
Culture	Sublime Disasters One can undergo a sublime experience even in the face of a life-threatening force. David E. Nye \| Feb 20
Culture	How ‘Monsters’ Came to Define Us Andrew Mangham, author of "We Are All Monsters," examines how science and literature changed understandings of human difference during the 19th century. The Editors \| Jul 13, 2023
Science & Tech	Of Sound Minds and Tuning Forks: Neuroscience’s Vibratory Histories Carmel Raz explores how historical links between nerves and vibration have shaped modern neural sciences. Carmel Raz \| Jun 2, 2023
Science & Tech	The Clue to the Labyrinth: Francis Bacon and the Decryption of Nature Though he did not anticipate the power of symbolic mathematics, by invoking the example of codebreaking, the 17th-century philosopher prepared for the later union of mathematics with experimental science. Peter Pesic \| Feb 27, 2023
Science & Tech	Drawing Physics, From Aristotle’s Universe to Max von Laue’s X-Ray Crystallography Drawings and short essays offer an illuminating peek into the history of scientific thought. Don S. Lemons \| Jan 3, 2023
Science & Tech	Artificial Lives: On the Occult Origins of Chemistry and the Stuff of Life Throughout history, scientists have tried to understand the characteristics that a chemical system must possess in order to be considered living. Laura Tripaldi \| May 18, 2022
Science & Tech	How Industry Weaponizes Science and Sows Doubt to Serve Their Agenda “When you’re shining a light on something, almost everything else remains in the dark. And sometimes that darkness is deliberately kept dark.” Peter Galison and Robert Proctor \| Nov 9, 2021
Science & Tech	Powers of Hearing: The Military Science of Sound Location During WWI the act of hearing was recast as a tactical activity — one that could determine human and even national survival. Gascia Ouzounian \| Jul 26, 2021