This is obviously a big year for fans of astronomy. As I have mentioned elsewhere, it has been 400 years since Galileo Galilei presented his telescope. He did not invent the first telescope but he did refine it and use it to reveal hitherto undiscovered wonders. To quote “The Galileo Project”… Galileo invented many mechanical devices …
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Series:Notable Scientists
Green Revolution…
“…a change in the right direction, but it has not transformed the world into a Utopia” One of my science heroes was a biologist and agricultural innovator. To some, one of the greatest human beings ever to have lived, to others a source of inequality and supporter of western agribusiness. He is estimated to have saved over a …
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Fritz Haber…
I think that Fritz Haber is a very interesting scientist with a fascinating life history. I first heard his story from an episode of RadioLab – which is a podcast I have recommended before. Haber was born in Germany in 1868 and went on to study chemistry at University in Berlin, completing his PhD under …
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Chucky D…
It’s been a while since Charles Darwin has featured and such things should not be allowed to continue. I watched the BBC Horrible Histories Prom from the Royal Albert Hall, which was my first encounter with the theatre group, and I thought it was wonderful. I was delighted to find this little historical gem on YouTube.
Eratosthenes…
I was marking a Winchester paper a while back that had a question about Eratosthenes. Winchester don’t often make mistakes in their papers but on this occasion they spelled it Eratothsenes throughout. I realised that this meant it could be spelled using the elements – ErAtOThSeNeS (erbium, astatine, oxygen, thallium, selenium, neon and sulphur). Sadly the correct …
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Happy Birthday Darwin…
Often, films, books or sporting events do not live up to their hype. When you finally get a chance to see them you feel disappointed and the excitement quickly fades. 150 years ago today, a book was published that is still as relevant and important today as it was on 24th November 1859. Charles Darwin …
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Vera Rubin…
If you have read A Bloke In A Hat from 2014 then you will know the names of a few female scientists. Science has been dominated by men but I think that things have now improved such that nearly as many women as men apply to take science courses at University. One very great female scientist …
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Tycho Brahe…
Tycho Brahe (1546 to 1601) was born in Denmark to wealthy and aristocratic parents. He was a brilliant astronomer pioneering the idea that accurate observation was the secret to making improvements in astronomy. He designed special apparatus for making measurements and was meticulous in checking their accuracy. He taught Johannes Kepler who used the data gathered during …
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A Bloke In A Hat…
I expect you recognise the gentleman in the picture above. He designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Paddington Station and the SS Great Britain; the first all iron, propeller-driven steam ship. At the end of last month the results of a survey were published in which people from non-scientific backgrounds were asked to name famous scientists. …
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Sporting Scientists…
During the IPL cricket match I watched yesterday, the commentators spoke to Dr Daniel Harris who was wearing a microphone on the field for the Deccan Chargers. When not playing cricket he is a hospital doctor and I thought that this was pretty unusual. I can’t think of very many sports stars with a science background. …
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