Science Resources
Science resources are provided below.
Astronomy resources
AuroraWatch UK – See the aurora borealis from the UK
NASA Voyager program – Information on the interstellar probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
NASA webpage on Voyager probes
Palaeontology resources
Natural History Museum in London
University of California Museum of Palaeontology
The Palaeontology Portal – A large online collection of resources on palaeontology
Understanding Evolution – Educational articles on evolution
Great works of science
On the Origin of Species (1859)
On the Origin of Species is a book by the English naturalist, geologist, and biologist Charles Darwin (1809–1882), first published in 1859. It introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of many generations through a process of natural selection. It is a seminal work in the history of science; it essentially created the subject of biology by unifying a collection of disparate facts on living organisms within a single coherent framework. It was published by John Murray in London. It was popular, but also generated controversy and objections. Six editions were produced, with the final one appearing in 1872. In each new edition, Darwin took the opportunity to address the most recent objections to his new theory.
On the Origin of Species was written in Down House in Kent, where Darwin lived for the last forty years of his life. I visited Down House on a day trip in July 2021.
First edition of the book from 1859
Sixth edition of the book from 1872
Description of my day trip to Down House in Kent in July 2021, with photos
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687)
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica is a book by the English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton (1642–1727), first published in 1687. The English translation of the title is The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, and the book is often called simply the Principia. It was written in Latin. In the Principia, Newton introduces his laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation.
The Principia is one of the most important scientific works of all time, providing a mathematical foundation for the theory of classical mechanics. It was published by the Royal Society in London, with the cost of publication being borne by the English astronomer Edmond Halley, a friend of Newton. A second edition was produced by Newton in 1713, with errors from the first edition corrected. Newton produced a third, improved edition in 1726, when he was 83.
Many of the ideas for the Principia were originally conceived whilst Newton was staying at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, England, during the period from 1665–1667, when he was a young man of 22–24. Woolsthorpe Manor was the house where he was born and grew up. I visited this place on a day trip in July 2021.
First edition of the book from 1687, in the original Latin
1846 American edition, with editor N. W. Chittenden — a partly modernised English version that largely reproduces the 1729 English translation by Andrew Motte of the 1726 third edition
Description of my day trip to Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire in July 2021, with photos