Robert Hooke and MicroscopyAbstract Robert Hooke was an extraordinarily industrious man who played an important part in how we understand nature toda

Abstract
Robert Hooke was an extraordinarily industrious man who played an important part in how we understand nature today. Hooke’s influential scientific research deems him a virtuoso of his time. Unfortunately, he is disregarded in most history books. His achievements were in the field of microscopy, specifically, developing the first compound microscope, and being the first to recognize cells. Hooke’s inventions allowed him to reveal the unknown universe of microscopic organisms, paving way for a new level of nature, that was never known before. A member of the Royal Society for over 40 years, Hooke was at the heart of the scientific revolution.

For more info - http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/hooke.html

For a picture of Robert Hooke's Ccompound microscope - http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Gifs/hookscop.html

No Guts, No Glory!

Dissection is more than just cutting open a body and looking inside it. It is almost like an adventure in medical research. Andreas Vesalius was the first who revolutionized the idea of opening the body and trying to make sense of how it worked. In Europe during sixteenth and seventeenth century this concept was just being introduced and not an easy one to grasp. Dissection can be a hard subject to conduct to but it’s a subject it can lead to amazing things and discoveries. By using someone's dead body, it can lead to the extension of their life in a long term. Who wouldn't want to have the comfort of knowing that health care will provide more for person’s living, and be able to fix certain things inside the body that were not possible before due to the lack of medical knowledge. Throughout this presentation we will show the wonders of what can be found with dissection and what can be done with the knowledge of medicine. This amazing discoveries lead to medical advancement.

http://www.historyworld.net/default.asp

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/history_of_medicine.htm

Francis Bacon's Scientific Method

Francis Bacon was a genius for his time period. He invented the Scientific Method, which we still use today all the time. Scientist today still follows these rules and kids are still being taught the Scientific Method in their classes. Junior year in High School I remember clearly studying and using the Scientific Method for our lab projects. The period of time that he invented this was a tough time to teach people. People were very stubborn and uneducated, pretty much sucked into religion and their laws. During the 15 and 16 hundreds, The Catholic Church was in power. Science was a threat to religion during the time, with the power of the church it is easy to say that a threat to the church could be taken care of without a problem. If Francis Bacon did not invent this method, there is a good possibility that some of the discoveries we have today might not have been discovered. For example, say a scientist did not follow the method, and tried to do it on his own. He does everything right, but he thinks that he can remember all of his data. Then all of a sudden he invents something new, but he is not able to redo it because he did not record his data and he forgot all of his information. Francis Bacon’s invention was a positive impact on the scientific revolution throughout time. 

Sources

Dawkins, Richard. "God Delusion by Richard Dawkins- Science Vs. Religion." Youtube. 31 Oct. 2008 .

"Scientific Method." Youtube.com. 31 Oct. 2008 .

Pressures, Volumes, and Vacuums! Oh My!

Do you think that the relationship between volume and pressure when referring to gases at a constant temperature in a vacuum is awesome? If so, then we have the perfect paper for you. Our paper is about one the most famous British scientists to this day, Robert Boyle. You have most likely heard of Boyle’s law that says that PV = k with k being a constant. Robert Boyle discovered the relationship between the pressure and volume of gases in 1662 while performing some experiments that he and his lab assistant, Robert Hooke, conducted. This law of nature is important because it is observed in every day life and can be applied to many of our daily encounters. This is only a brief look at what is in our written presentation. You will have to read the entire thing to get all the details. For more information about Robert Boyle check out this informative website and here is a clip explaining the specifics of Boyle’s Law.

If you want to read our full written presentation then you can click here.

Get-Out-Of-Poverty-Free Card

Poor? Starving? Struggling to survive? Turn any lesser metal into gold!

This was only one of several outlandish claims that alchemists made in the 16th and 17th centuries, during a time of desperation when such suggestions earned them fame and fortune. Alchemists of this period claimed to possess the ability to not only turn lesser metals to gold, but also produce the philosopher’s stone, a mythical crystal whose properties included curing every known ailment, bestowing spiritual enlightenment, and granting eternal life.

The idea is hardly a difficult one to market. For our presentation we plan to sell the irresistible trappings of life and eternal wealth to the historical audience, and use to basic principles of the philosophy of alchemy to explain how such a substance could exist. To a crowd in abject destitution, the relevance was clear; little was more alluring than a get-out-of- poverty card.

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For links to hundreds of primary-source texts on alchemy, click.

For a quick definition of alchemy and its history, click.

Midterm Abstract

This presentation will cover the works of William Gilbert. Gilbert was a scientist during the scientific revolution, and is particularly well know for his work regarding magnetism. His most famous work, De Magnete, was published during the time in order to debunk many myths about magnetism-and more specifically, the compass.
Because the compass was integral to sea travel during the time, Gilbert’s work was particularly revolutionary. Previously, there was great confusion as to what effected or controlled the needle of the compass. The myths that surrounded the instrument made sea travel dangerous, as there was little to no understanding of the ship’s most valuable tool. Gilbert was able to illuminate the workings of the compass, and therefore make sea travel safer.
In order to fully explain both Gilbert’s works, as well as their importance, we will illuminate all relevant factors. This will include an overview of Gilbert’s ideas and the processes he utilized in order to complete his studies. We will also define the historical and cultural context in which Gilbert’s work took place, and explore the nature of the people which populated the era. These factors will help readers gain a greater understanding of not only Gilbert’s work, but the importance of it.

If you're not particularly familiar with magnetism, here's a quick video to catch you up!

The Most Valuable Commodity On Earth

Mild shock. That was my first reaction to Michael Manson’s “How to Teach Science to the Pope” (found in our course readings). Listen to the media tell it, the Catholic Church is opposed to science in fairly every form, from genetic modification to evolution to the Big Bang, every last little bit of it. Should’ve figured – you can’t believe everything you see on TV.

Turns out, the Vatican’s acceptance of science is nearly a complete one-eighty from the media portrayal. Not only do they accept many scientific views and work to intersect scientific discoveries with the Catholic belief system, they have various institutions of their own, composed of scientists ranging from clergymen to atheists, to pioneer discoveries and discuss their applications to faith. And it makes a lot of sense, once you hear it. Consolmango, a Jesuit brother and astronomer for the Vatican Observatory, explains in the article that “the idea that the universe is worth studying just because it’s worth studying is a religious idea. If you think the universe is fundamentally good and that it’s an expression of a good God, then studying how the universe works is a way of becoming intimate with the Creator. It’s a kind of worship” (Manson 1).

It’s not a bad point. In many facets of science, the goal is to better humanity – to improve on technology, to save lives, to better the human condition. The study of the universe, however, the pursuit of understanding our creation, cannot feasibly do any of these things. It is, as Kurt Vonnegut would say, pure research; research is not “looking for a better cigarette filter or a softer facial tissue or a longer-lasting house paint, God help us” (Vonnegut 35). Pure research is when “men are paid to increase knowledge, to work toward no end but that”. And “nothing generous about it. New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on Earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become” (Vonnegut 36).

Perhaps Vatican science is right on the money.

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Looking for more? On the discoverability of the universe, and it’s relationship to humanity, spend six minutes here.

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Sources:

Mason, Michael. "How to Teach Science to the Pope." Discover Magazine. August 18, 2008. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/18-how-to-teach-science-to-the-pope

Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat’s Cradle. New York: Dell Publishing Company, Inc, 1963.