In this episode of Perspectives, we sit down with Audra Wolfe to discuss her book, Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science. In Freedom's Laboratory, Dr. Wolfe examines the relationship between science, politics, and governance in the United States during the Cold War, highlighting the ways in which scientists, policymakers, and administrators defined and thought about concepts such as "scientific freedom" and "Western science." She examines the role of scientists in American cultural diplomacy after World War II, at a time when United States propaganda promoted a vision of science as empirical, objective, and international. This view of science was often contrasted with a representation of Soviet science as politically motivated and nationalistic. 

Dr. Wolfe adds to our knowledge of how science and propaganda, psychology and diplomacy, interacted with one another and were deployed on both sides during the Cold War. Weaving diplomatic history with the history of science, Wolfe's book demonstrates the powerful and controversial uses and abuses of science during the Cold War.

Audra Wolfe is a Philadelphia-based writer, editor, and historian. She is the author of two books on science and the Cold War, Competing with the Soviets: Science, Technology, and the State in Cold War America and Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science, both available from Johns Hopkins University Press. You can follow her on Twitter as @ColdWarScience and subscribe to her newsletter at Never Just Science dot substack dot com. 

For more resources on this topic, please visit: https://www.chstm.org/video/112

Audra Wolfe — Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science

Unlocked after a year for patrons only:
Why do we divide history into epochs separated by "revolutions"?  Astrology.  How did Magellan chart his course around the globe?  Astrology.  How did Ronald Reagan schedule his acts of state?  Astrology.  We trace how the highest of the occult arts evolved from interpreting omens in ancient Babylonia, to containing medieval epidemics, to providing fodder for middle-brow magazines.  Whether you are a believer or not, astrology is the secret rhythm of our lives.

Become a patron in order to hear all patron-only lectures, including Myth of the Month 14: The Founding Fathers -- www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

Suggested further reading:  Benson Bobrick, "The Fated Sky";  Nicholas Campion, "The Great Year,"  Julie Beck, "The New Age of Astrology," The Atlantic magazine;  Elijah Wolfson, "Your Zodiac Sign, Your Health," The Atlantic magazine;  Sonia Saraiya, "Seeing Stars," Vanity Fair magazine.

Image:  Horoscope (birth chart) cast for Iskandar Sultan, grandson of Tamerlane, born 1384.

Unlocked:  Myth of the Month 14: Astrology

E132 | Alchemy has traditionally been understood as a pseudoscience or protoscience that eventually gave way to modern chemistry. Less often have the writings of alchemists been studied on their own terms. Yet, given the endurance and prolific nature of the alchemical traditions and the involvement of important figures of "modern science" such as Isaac Newton in the field of alchemy, a teleological understanding of the transition from alchemy to chemistry seems inadequate for discussing how science was practiced in the past. This may be particularly true for the Ottoman context, where a longstanding tradition of alchemy becomes subsumed under a larger narrative of the triumph of Western science during the nineteenth century. In this podcast, Tuna Artun explores the world of alchemy and discusses its transformation during the Ottoman period. - See more at: http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2013/12/alchemy-ottoman-empire.html#sthash.d8GWTykK.dpuf

Alchemy in the Ottoman World | Tuna Artun

E124 Part 1 | While science was once understood by historians "on its own terms," i.e. as a rational means of arriving at objective truths about the natural world, over the past decades, historians of science have illustrated the numerous ways in which scientific production is rooted in social and material contexts. In part one of this two-part series on the history of science, Nir Shafir leads us in an exploration of some of the main shifts in views of science and its history. In part two, we discuss the nascent field of history of science in the Ottoman Empire and Muslim world and explore the state of current historiography and where it is headed.
- See more at: http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2012/09/science-ottoman-empire-muslim-world-islamic.html#sthash.7PestDHR.dpuf

Science and its Contexts | Nir Shafir

E124 Part 2 | While science was once understood by historians "on its own terms," i.e. as a rational means of arriving at objective truths about the natural world, over the past decades, historians of science have illustrated the numerous ways in which scientific production is rooted in social and material contexts. In part one of this two-part series on the history of science, Nir Shafir leads us in an exploration of some of the main shifts in views of science and its history. In part two, we discuss the nascent field of history of science in the Ottoman Empire and Muslim world and explore the state of current historiography and where it is headed. - See more at: http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2012/09/science-ottoman-empire-muslim-world-islamic.html#sthash.XGciAAbq.dpuf

An Ottoman History of Science | Nir Shafir

 This week on the Global Research News Hour, as the wildfires in Manitoba and across Canada are raising concerns and has many figures pointing to Climate Change as a major culprit, we resurrect an earlier interview pertaining to secret technology being used that not only affects forest fires, but also weather, earthquakes, hurricanes and even shockingly people! We will speak to the author of the Geoengineering trilogy and discuss the fourth book, “The Geoengineered TransHuman: The Hidden Technologies of HAARP, Chemtrails, 5G/6G, nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, and the Scientific Effort to Transform Humanity.”

End Goal of Geoengineering - Control of the Earth, and All of Humanity

You're invited to join our science-themed cocktail party, where experts on the history of science tell us stories, fun facts, and random anecdotes about the development of scientific knowledge from the 19th century to today.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Sally Frampton and Dr Oskar Cox Jensen about 19th century anxieties related to vaccination and how they coalesced into a vociferous anti-vax movement. We explore the scientific and cultural dimensions of Victorian anti-vax sentiment, including satirical cartoons and songs. (Warning - these tunes get stuck in your head!) And we ask what the historical incarnation of the anti-vax movement can teach us about the anti-vaxxers of today.

Interviews with: Dr Sally Frampton (University of Oxford), Dr Oskar Cox Jensen (Queen Mary University of London), Cory Mason (The Oxford Artisan Distillery), Tom Nicolson (The Oxford Artisan Distillery)
Produced by: Dr Kira Allmann (University of Oxford)
Music by: Rosemary Allmann

This podcast is brought to you by the Constructing Scientific Communities Project, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The Conversationalist - 06 - 'The C19th Origins of the Anti-Vaccination Movement'

A young readers edition of the New York Times bestseller The Disappearing Spoon, chronicling the extraordinary stories behind one of the greatest scientific tools in existence: the periodic table.

Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history?

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of The Disappearing Spoon offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.

Available April 3, 2018 from Hachette Audio as a digital download, and in Print and Ebook from Little, Brown Young Readers.

Download:
https://www.downpour.com/the-disappearing-spoon-231440
https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Disappearing-Spoon-Young-Listeners-Edition-Audiobook/B07BWJGHJB?ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_2&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=2Q2K5AJH3P1YATFK1G5H&
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/disappearing-spoon-and-other-true-tales-of-rivalry-adventure-and-the-history-of-the-world-from-the-periodic-table-of-the-elements-young-readers-edition/330709
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https://www.estories.com/audiobook/141948/Sam-Kean/The-Disappearing-Spoon-Young-Readers-Edition
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781478941248-the-disappearing-spoon
https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/disappearing-spoon-young-listeners-edition-unabridged/id1370411317

Check out our other great titles and more at:
www.hachetteaudio.com

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THE DISAPPEARING SPOON by Sam Kean Read by Robert Petkoff - Audiobook Excerpt

What is the historical relationship between publishing, money-making and scholarly mission? We explore the past with our guest Aileen Fyfe. She is a historian of science, technology and publishing, and Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. The host of this episode is Erik Lieungh.

#29 Mission or Money?

A scientist from Budapest who immigrated to the US in the 1930s. A beloved and common pet store fish. And a researcher looking at genes that suppress the growth of cancerous tumors. On this episode of The Show About Science, these three worlds serendipitously collide to lead to a discovery that would help us understand one of the most important things in human history.

Joining Nate on the show are Keith Cheng, the Principal Investigator of the Cheng Lab at the Penn State College of Medicine, and Máté Varga, a professor at Eötvös Loránd University in the Department of Genetics.

Learn more about Dr Cheng:
http://chenglab.io

https://www.scienceintheclassroom.org/research-papers/golden-fish-reveals-pigmentation-loss-europeans

Read Máté Varga's article about the life and work of George Streisinger:
https://thenode.biologists.com/doctor-delayed-publications-remarkable-life-george-streisinger/careers/

To read and/or write your own amazing ministories, head on over to https://amazingministories.org. I can't wait to read the awesome stuff you write!

084: The Serendipitous Zebrafish Discovery with Keith Cheng and Máté Varga

Created by Nate when he was 5 years-old, The Show About Science is an awesome adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Over the last 7 years, Nate has filled each episode with fascinating information from scientists and educators from around the globe. Together, Nate and his guests explore everything from chemistry to climate change, evolution to extraterrestrials, and human brains to bat biology. If you’re curious about science, then this is the show for you!

Grammy-winning audiobook publisher. Authors include James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Michael Connelly. Earbuds encouraged. Follow us on Twitter at @HachetteAudio.

The Constructing Scientific Communities Project explores citizen science in the 19th and 21st centuries. It brings together historical and literary research in the nineteenth century with contemporary scientific practice, looking at the ways in which patterns of popular communication and engagement in nineteenth-century science can offer models for current practice. The project is based at the Universities of Oxford and Leicester, in partnership with three significant scientific institutions: the Natural History Museum; the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Royal Society. We look at innovative ways of breaking through the public/professional divide. Drawing on historical research, the project works to develop new tools to enable better systems of exchange between professional science, and this growing army of volunteers.

History lectures by Samuel Biagetti, a historian (and antique dealer) with a Phd in early American history; my dissertation was on Freemasonry in the 1700s. I focus on the historical myths and distortions, from "the Middle Ages" to "Race," that people use to rationalize the world in which we live.   More info at www.historiansplaining.com

Please see my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632, if you want to keep the lectures coming, and to hear the patron-only materials.

A new public events series from the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine brings historical perspective to contemporary issues and concerns.

In the public forums, historians and other specialists speak about culturally relevant topics in front of a live audience at Consortium member institutions. Forum subjects range from medical consumerism to public trust in science and technology. Videos of these events are also available at chstm.org.

In podcast episodes, authors of new books in the history of science, technology, and medicine respond to questions from readers with a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise. These conversations illuminate the utility and relevance of the past in light of current events.

A podcast about Open Science, Open Access, Open Education, Open Data, Open Software ... pretty much «open anything». Produced by the University Library at UIT The Arctic University of Norway. Founder and host of episodes 1-31: Erik Lieungh. Host from episode 32 onwards: Per Pippin Aspaas.

Popular tracks tagged #history of science