For anyone interested in the history of science, London and its environs are a living museum. Perhaps only ancient Alexandria — the city of Archimedes, Euclid, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, and Eudoxos — came near to approaching London as a center of scientific creativity.
Science
Robert Hooke's drawing of a flea from “Micrographia” (1665)
The 72-inch Rosse telescope mirror • Photo by Geni (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Dread and alluring mystery
When I first visited the capital of Ireland in 1972, Dublin was a gray, cheerless city with beggars and litter everywhere. I couldn’t wait to get away.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
A farewell — and a recommendation
Several weeks ago, “The New York Times” asked in the headline of its Tuesday science section — “Does Science Matter?” — then spent 16 pages suggesting an answer: Indeed it does, more than ever.
Photo by Oliver Fuß on Unsplash
Scientists also lifted our perception of life
This was my third or fourth visit to Westminster Abbey, although the first in almost three decades. I stood in line to buy my ticket of admission with some misgivings. I remembered being disappointed on previous visits, but could not remember why.
Detail of Ottoman astronomers at work from a 16th-century manuscript
Mystery illuminates a cultural shift
Istanbul is the most European of Moslem cities. It sits astride the Bosphorus, traditional boundary between Europe and Asia. It was once the capital of a Moslem empire that reached to India and Spain; today, with all of Turkey, it aspires to be part of the European Union.
Earthrise from Apollo 16 • NASA (Public Domain)
Faith-based science is not really science
Now that we have been introduced to the idea of faith-based social programs and faith-based public-education (vouchers), surely it is time for the administration in Washington to make its move on faith-based science.
Photo by Iva Rajović on Unsplash
Optimism is fuel for a bright future
Last week this column took note of environmental philosopher Bill McKibben’s new book, “Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age” — an important book, powerfully persuasive, and utterly necessary.
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
All the old sciences have starring roles
When I was in high school many long years ago, the sciences were the basics — physics, chemistry, biology.
Photo by Nando García on Unsplash
Time for new cliche: The sane scientist
My guest today is Dr. Sivana, the Mad Scientist. Sivana is not really a mad scientist, but he plays one on TV…
Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash
The discovery is the thing
Which of the following works would you choose to be lost, if only three could be saved: Michelangelo’s Pieta, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, or Einstein’s 1905 paper on relativity.