Science History

Walk into any public square or shopping mall at this time of year and an encounter with a traditional Christmas carol is well-nigh unavoidable. We may not sing them ourselves with anything like the frequency or fervor we once did at church but the tunes t ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 24 2015 - 9:30am

The Origin Of The Kraken Legend

The Kraken is perhaps the largest monster ever imagined by mankind. In Nordic folklore, it was said to haunt the seas from Norway through Iceland and all the way to Greenland. The Kraken had a knack for harassing ships and many pseudoscientific reports (i ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 31 2015 - 8:00am

INPI- a treasure trove of French inventions

INPI- a treasure trove of French inventions Do you have French ancestors? Perhaps, somewhere in the archives, is a patent for something your ancestor invented. INPI- Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle- France's National Institute of Indu ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Nov 8 2016 - 12:44pm

Robert Boyle- Climate Science Pioneer

Robert Boyle- Climate Science Pioneer Apart from his experiments with the compression of gases, Robert Boyle deserves to be remembered for his proposals about 'unmingled bodies' (atoms), his promotion of the experimental method, his debunking of ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Nov 28 2016 - 11:40pm

John Mayow- Climate Science Pioneer

John Mayow- Climate Science Pioneer #2 in a series. Sir William Ramsay wrote an excellent history of the study of our atmosphere. Below is the part of his book concerning John Mayow. The previous part was about Robert Boyle. The text courtesy archive.o ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Nov 30 2016 - 6:19pm

Stephen Hales- Climate Science Pioneer

Stephen Hales- Climate Science Pioneer #3 in a series Stephen Hales (1677-1761) was a clergyman who devoted much of his time to scientific pursuits, especially in conducting experiments in plant physiology. His most important work, Vegetable Staticks (pub ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Dec 14 2016 - 1:18pm

The True Coin of Science

The True Coin of Science There is a way of 'doing science' which has long stood the test of time. It doesn't matter how many people support a theory, or how eminent they may be. Nullius in verba- take nobody's word as truth. Nor is e ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Dec 19 2016 - 2:29pm

Carbon Cycles by Arvid G. Högbom

Carbon Cycles by Arvid G. Högbom For centuries it was commonly believed that the Earth's climate is, and always has been, stable. The idea that the climate, on the contrary, has always changed has its origins with Ignaz Venetz who, in 1821, laid the ...

Blog Post - Patrick Lockerby - Dec 21 2016 - 6:50pm

When will Physics be Done?

Many people have predicted the end of fundamental physics. Often these are at the end of great progress such as the late 19 th century when classical physics was quite well understood, or in the midst of such a flurry of action when it seems like all the ...

Blog Post - David LePoire - Dec 22 2016 - 5:33pm

What If... No Oil?

How would one detail in the past affect how technology and science evolved? This question comes up at many scales- sometimes personal introspection on what might have been or larger scale concerning world historical events. It offers a way to do a thoug ...

Blog Post - David LePoire - Jan 13 2017 - 1:38pm