History of science
The history of science traces how scientific ideas were born, contested and ultimately prevailed. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth unfolds at a turning point: the shift from geocentrism to heliocentrism, and the price paid by those who dared to observe the sky differently.
Entries in this discipline
Autopsy and Forensic Medicine
In The Apothecary Diaries, a body is examined. We explain autopsy, post-mortem signs, and the birth of forensic medicine.
Beekeeping
In The Apothecary Diaries, Lady Fonmin's luxurious honeys come from a beekeeping family. Colony structure, castes, varietal honeys, and the history of beekeeping.
The Bezoar
In The Apothecary Diaries, the bezoar is a prized pharmacopoeia treasure. We explain what this concretion really is and what modern science makes of it.
Black Powder
In The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao states the exact formula for black powder. We explain the role of each ingredient, the reaction, and the rotten-egg smell.
The Caesarean Section
Before antisepsis and anesthesia, caesarean section almost always killed the mother. We explain why, and what changed everything in the 19th century.
Castration and Eunuchs
In The Apothecary Diaries, Jinshi embodies the archetype of the court eunuch. We explain the real effects of castration by age, and the role of testosterone.
Elixirs of Immortality
Several Chinese emperors were killed by elixirs meant to make them immortal. Waidan alchemy, cinnabar, mercury, and arsenic explained.
Emmenagogue and Abortive Plants
Jasmine, mugwort, rue, chili pepper: were these plants, said to trigger periods or end a pregnancy, really effective? The history and pharmacology behind them.
Revealing Fingerprints
Revealing fingerprints with flour. We explain the chemistry of latent prints and the history of dactyloscopy, born in ancient China.
Foot Binding
In The Apothecary Diaries, a victim's bound feet prove she couldn't have climbed alone. We explain the real bone deformation and its effects.
The Glass Mirror
Why does a glass mirror give a far sharper image than polished bronze? The history of Venetian silvering and the chemistry of mirror-making.
Lead White Makeup
In The Apothecary Diaries, white makeup kills courtesans. We explain why this ceruse-based cosmetic caused deadly lead poisoning.
The Magic Mirror
In The Apothecary Diaries, a bronze mirror projects its engravings in reflected light. We explain the real physics behind this so-called magic mirror.
Mercury
In The Apothecary Diaries, quicksilver goes into a court poison. We explain mercury, its toxicity, and the immortality elixirs that killed emperors.
Miasma Theory
In The Apothecary Diaries, incense is burned to ward off illness. We explain miasma theory, its kernel of truth, and how Pasteur overturned it.
Orpiment and Arsenic
In The Apothecary Diaries, a yellow pigment poisons slowly. We explain orpiment, arsenic, and the chronic poisoning of court painters.
Papermaking
In The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao diagnoses crumbly paper. We explain papermaking, cellulose, and Cai Lun's invention.
Physic Garden
The physic garden is the cradle of plant-based pharmacopoeia. Monasteries, universities, imperial China: the history of a centuries-old place of knowledge.
Quarantine and Isolation
In The Apothecary Diaries, a contagious patient is isolated. The history of quarantine, fomites, and isolation long before germs were understood.
Sensory Detection of Poison
Maomao inspects the soup by sight and smell. We explain the food-taster method, how silver tarnishes, and why arsenic went undetected.
Silver and Poison Detection
Silverware tarnishes from sulfur, not pure arsenic. We explain the chemistry of silver sulfide and why the silver poison test is a partly-founded myth.
Surgical Sutures
In The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao is recovering from fifteen stitches. The history of suture thread, from Egyptian linen to resorbable catgut and synthetic thread.
Aristotelian physics
Rafal cites Aristotle to prove the Earth is at the center in Orb. We explain Aristotelian physics and its link to geocentrism.
The astrolabe
In Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, Rafal owns an astrolabe. We explain what this ancient astronomical instrument is, what it does and how it works.
Ptolemy's geocentric model
Before heliocentrism, the Earth sat at the center of the world. We explain Ptolemy's geocentric model, its epicycles, and why it lasted over a thousand years.
Heliocentrism
Hubert defends a forbidden idea in Orb: the Sun at the center, the Earth turning. We explain heliocentrism, its history, and why it caused such an uproar.
Star magnitude
Rafal marvels at seeing a magnitude-six star in Orb. We explain what magnitude is, why the scale runs backwards, and the limit of the naked eye.
Why measure a star with an astrolabe
The stars are already engraved on the astrolabe, so why sight one? The instrument is a calculator that derives the time, your orientation and your latitude.
Black Powder
Senku makes gunpowder in Dr Stone. We explain its composition (saltpeter, charcoal, sulfur), the chemical reaction, and its history.
Dynamite
How did Nobel tame nitroglycerin? We explain dynamite, absorption into kieselguhr, and the link with the Nobel Prize.
Morse code
Senku communicates in Morse code in Dr Stone. We explain how this code encodes letters as short and long signals, transmissible by sound, light, or current.
Papermaking
Senku makes paper in Dr Stone. We explain how alkaline cooking frees cellulose fibers by dissolving lignin, then how the sheet is formed.