Rosalyn Yalow: Scientist and Individualist
The scientific legacy Rosalyn Yalow is remarkable. Set against the backdrop of a hostile environment, Yalow’s path distinguishes her as one of the extraordinary scientific figures of the last century.
History of Science
A look back at science from the past, and can it inform the future?
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Mary Somerville: Her Legacy for Women in Science
On the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, Mary Somerville’s legacy highlights the vital role education plays in women’s access to scientific careers.
Changing forms of Unreason
The changes in public perception of mental health topics have been very clear in recent years where once a never-to-be-discussed topic has now become widely reported, discussed and recognised. The number of widely shared and heard discussions about anxiety and depression has been further increased by the coronavirus pandemic. This change can be witnessed everywhere…
Restoration: A Medieval Understanding of ‘Science’
Title image by Lizzie Daly By Sea Yun Pius Joung As one enters the quadrangle of our beloved Bodleian, one can’t help but notice the grandeur of it all—the ancient windows; the scent of old books; the archways leading into mysterious rooms such as the schola moralis philosophiae, the schola astronomiae et rhetoricae, or the schola…
Wilful ignorance: Science’s refusal to inspect its racist past
Jin-Gyu Chang Think back to what you learnt in school about the history of racism, and you will find that it’s a very simplified and discontinuous narrative that goes something like this: slavery and empire (which is quite often portrayed as a good thing, or at least a necessary evil), the Nazis and WII and…
Women in Science—Mary Anning
100 years ago, the Representation of the People Act 1918 allowed some women over 30 to vote in the UK. To celebrate this, Oxford University Museum of Natural History’s current exhibition, Women In Science, explores the life and work of 14 female scientists. From Marie Curie to Barbara McClintock, these women are among the most…
Roman Concrete: To go forward is to look back
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but their concrete can withstand the ages: around 2 millennia to be precise. There are many intriguing stories of ancient materials with fascinating properties but long-forgotten methods of production, like Damascus steel, the supposed chromium plated blades of the terracotta army, and Roman concrete. However, more light has been shed…