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science history

A Fly on the Wall
Dan Cossins | Jul 19, 2013 | 4 min read
A geneticist-turned-filmmaker is making a movie set in Columbia University’s famous Fly Room, where the foundations for modern genetics were laid.
Side-Chain Theory, circa 1900
Edyta Zielinska | Jul 1, 2013 | 3 min read
Paul Ehrlich came up with an explanation for cellular interactions based on receptors, earning a Nobel Prize and the title "Father of Modern Immunology"—only to have his theory forgotten.
The Elixir Tragedy, 1937
Jef Akst | Jun 1, 2013 | 3 min read
A mass poisoning of 105 patients treated with an untested medication spurred Congress to empower the US Food and Drug Administration to monitor drug safety.
Celebrating 60 Years of the Double Helix
Dan Cossins | Apr 25, 2013 | 2 min read
Genome Biology speaks to a scientist involved in the discovery of the structure of DNA, and asks modern geneticists to highlight the key advances that have followed.
Naturalistā€™s House for Sale
Dan Cossins | Apr 22, 2013 | 1 min read
One of the surviving UK homes of pioneering but long-overlooked evolutionary theorist Alfred Russel Wallace is on the market.
$2 Million for Crick Medal
Edyta Zielinska | Apr 12, 2013 | 1 min read
Francis Crick’s Nobel Prize medal for the discovery of the structure of DNA sold for 4 times its estimated value.
A Sea Dragon Revealed, 1823
Dan Cossins | Mar 1, 2013 | 3 min read
A sharp-eyed fossil prospector and self-taught paleontologist, Mary Anning discovered several extraordinary Mesozoic marine reptiles.
The Rebirth of DIYbio
Jef Akst | Mar 1, 2013 | 3 min read
Do-it-yourself science is likely as old as science itself, driven by an inherent curiosity about the world around us.
Slices of Life, circa 1872
Dan Cossins | Jan 1, 2013 | 2 min read
A master of topographical anatomy, Christian Wilhelm Braune produced accurate colored lithographs from cross sections of the human body.
Ancient Pharaoh Was Murdered
Jef Akst | Dec 18, 2012 | 2 min read
DNA samples and CT scans reveal that Ramesses III likely had his throat slashed by his son and other conspirators.
Redefining the Kilogram
Bob Grant | Jul 5, 2012 | 2 min read
Scientists have crafted two new definitions for the common unit of mass. The fight to pick the best one is getting nasty.
Opinion: Text Mining Medicine
Min Song | Jun 25, 2012 | 3 min read
Researchers should scour historic medical archives to discover knowledge that could inform today’s biomedical research and clinical practice.
Darwin Didn't Plagiarize Wallace
Bob Grant | Dec 13, 2011 | 1 min read
19th century shipping records defy the claim that Charles Darwin stole some of Alfred Russel Wallace's ideas to craft his theory of evolution.
black and white photo of two men working at a lab bench
The Discovery of Streptomycin
Terry Sharrer | Aug 1, 2007 | 2 min read
The mass manufacture of penicillin during World War II stimulated urgent interest in other medicinally important soil microorganisms.
Tuxedo Park to Greenwich -- The Loomis Legacy
Howard Lenhoff | Apr 6, 2003 | 4 min read
Alfred Lee Loomis played major roles in the development of both radar and the atomic bomb.
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