While the humble fruit fly may be a summer-time nuisance for many of us, they have been helping the scientific community study the building blocks of life for over a century due to their availability, small size and quick reproduction. The Manchester Fly Facility at Manchester University has a very informative website about the history and current uses of these little guys in science research.
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Category Archives: Do You Know?
Celebrating 350 Years of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
This month marks a milestone in modern scientific publishing. Back when science was called Natural Philosophy and the practice of medicine straddled the line between alchemy and butchery, the Royal Society started publishing (what is considered) the first peer-reviewed scientific journal. Volume 1 of Philosophical Transactions: Giving Some Accompt of the Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World (as it was fully titled) was published 350 years ago this month.
The journal, which started as the Royal Society’s secretary Henry Oldenburg’s pet-project, was intended to communicate the most current information to society members and other scientifically minded readers. Since it’s first appearance in 1665, Philosophical Transactions has continued publication through plagues, wars, competition, and scandal. Continue reading
The Cultural Casualties of Library Fires
An important function of libraries is to protect and maintain information for future generations. While digital materials have their own vulnerabilities, the inherent danger of keeping the world’s knowledge on a flammable media like paper is obvious. Many people believe that since there is so much information on the internet these days, everything that can be has been scanned, uploaded, and made available with a quick Google search.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. The recent fire at a Russian scientific library in January was a startling reminder that even in this digital age, the information is still at risk. Over the years, there have been several fires in libraries that destroyed entire collections that can never be replaced.