Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Looking through books in my basement I stumbled across two volumes of Percival Lowell’s observations on Mars. These observations, published as Annals of the Lowell Observatory, provided the scientific data for Lowell’s three books on the Martian canals.
Posted by Darin on 09/09 at 03:54 PM
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Tuesday, September 08, 2009
The Bipartisan Policy Center recently issued a report calling for a greater separation of policy questions from scientific questions. This report echoes some of the directives President Obama stated in his memorandum on scientific integrity. I am skeptical that we can, in fact, separate science and policy in the way that these two documents suggest.
Posted by Darin on 09/08 at 11:14 PM
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I’m a train buff. I usually express this in terms of an interest in the social and technical history of railroads, and although that’s valid, if fact I love steam locomotives. I’ve even acquired some fondness for the early generation diesels. Aside from riding Amtrak and other trains whenever feasible (and sometimes when hardly that), and some reading, my main buffing occurs at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, where as a member of its “Friends” I serve as a volunteer docent (though we don’t much use that word). This Museum, the largest in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) system, sits amidst cornfields just east of Strasburg in the Lancaster County Amish region. It was placed there to adjoin the Strasburg Railroad, an early and premier steam tourist short-line; and of course for better or worse the Amish area has long been a destination for visitors.
Posted by Steven J. Peitzman on 09/08 at 03:13 PM
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Saturday, September 05, 2009
I offer some thoughts on the difference between promoting understanding of history of science and promoting interest in history of science. I want to suggest that PACHS needs to take seriously promoting public interest in history of science along with public understanding of history of science.
Posted by Darin on 09/05 at 03:49 PM
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Wednesday, September 02, 2009
History of Science-related things to do in Philly in September!
Posted by Anke on 09/02 at 01:34 PM
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Monday, August 31, 2009
Reading Daniel McNeil’s recent essay in the NY Times prompted me to think about the seemingly inescapable drive to locate the origin of an epidemic in some foreign country. I also note that along with this desire by people suffering from any particular epidemic, historians seem to feel an equally strong impetus to trace the contours of a disease back to its origins.
Posted by Darin on 08/31 at 11:09 PM
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Nuggets from the American Chemical Society Conference. Read it, you’ll like it!
Posted by Anke on 08/26 at 03:41 PM
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Herbert Stencil’s dream of avoiding sleep just became a step closer to reality. According to researchers at UC San Francisco, they have identified the gene mutation responsible for regulating how much sleep a person needs.
Posted by Darin on 08/18 at 11:15 PM
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Looking through some of the books on my shelves, I came across this piece of local ephemeral (local to Philadelphia) related to the history of science: an advertisement for A. Finley’s Map of the United States (Philadelphia: A. Finley, ca. 1830).
Posted by Darin on 08/15 at 01:32 PM
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Star parties are events run by the Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers group that let you learn a little about the heavens and about a scientific sub-culture right here in Philadelphia.
Posted by Darin on 08/14 at 12:37 PM
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