Monthly Archives: September 2011

The man who inverted and squared gravity

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

The origins of the inverse square law of gravity in the 17th century,  an important aspect of the methodology of scientific discovery [read more here]

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This Decade on Mars

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

This past March, the National Research Council’s Committee on the Planetary Science and NASA released a survey outlining goals for planetary exploration for the coming decade. From 2013 to 2022, Mars and the search for life will take centre stage. New missions launching … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | Tagged , | 2 Comments

George Perkins Marsh – Master of Footnotes

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

George Perkins Marsh (1801–1882), a polymath and polyglot, was born in Woodstock, Vermont and was a lawyer, congressman, and a US envoy to the Ottoman Empire and later to Italy, where he died.  One of the better known scholars of … Continue reading →

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Better late than never: Giants’ Shoulders #39-part I is up

Posted on September 25, 2011 by

The history of science blog carnival Giants’ Shoulders #39 part I is up at Mammoth Tales. Part II should follow on Monday. Giants’ Shoulders #40 is being hosted at the Heathen Hub by Gundur on 16th October. Submissions as usual either direct to the … Continue reading →

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Giants’ Shoulders #39 delayed

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

Due to the host’s commitments in the real world the appearance of the history of science bog carnival Giants’ Shoulders #39 at Mammoth Tales has been postponed till Monday 19th September; submission however still close on the 15th so you have just two days … Continue reading →

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Just three writing days to Giants’ Shoulders #39

Posted on September 12, 2011 by

You have just three days to write and submit those scintillating history of science blog posts for the 39th edition of The Giants’ Shoulders the history of science blog carnival hosted by John McKay at Mammoth Tales. Giants’ Shoulders #39 appear on 16th … Continue reading →

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It’s Mumford Time! Environmental Icarine Writers and the verification of spectacular claims

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

The case of the monastic clock and the invention of capitalism. Fashioning an intellectual life is like unraveling a wooly sweater in reverse where instead of picking at a loose thread or two and witnessing the garment come asunder, one … Continue reading →

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History of science on stage

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

History of science seems to get on stage a remarkable amount, considering that it’s all about stuff that’s darned difficult to understand, usually pretty undramatic in nature, and often presented elsewhere as untainted by personality and context. And, of course, … Continue reading →

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The Real Apollo 18

Posted on September 6, 2011 by

Everybody loves a good conspiracy story, and the recently released Apollo 18 offers a great one about a secret mission to the Moon that went terribly wrong necessitating a massive government cover up. The movie goes in insane directions, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space Exploration | 1 Comment

History of Landslides – Landslides in History

Posted on September 4, 2011 by

Landslides belong to a class of geological phenomena which occur rapidly, contradicting our common believes of geology occurring only in large time spans. For this characteristic and the often catastrophic and well visible aftermaths such mass movements are widely recognized … Continue reading →

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