British Science Research Articles

“Sweet” detectives: children crack the case for a healthy future

To coincide with British Science Week, we ran an outreach activity in March 2024 with several year 5 and 6 (ages 9–11) classes at Whitehall Park School in Islington, London. Cases of type 2 diabetes are on the increase in children, so we wanted to raise awareness of diabetes and discuss the importance of healthy living as prevention. We also wanted to promote the work of scientists and show the diversity of those working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. We did this through a range of accessible, fun hands-on interactive activities such as getting children to play the role of scientists to test the sugar content of popular soft drinks. Through these activities and by collecting feedback, we learnt how much children already knew about healthy living and diabetes and recorded how much they learnt from doing our activity. Children said they enjoyed the activity, and we received positive feedback from teachers. This feedback will help inform our future diabetes research and improve our communications with the public and local communities. Due to the success of these activities, we plan to take them to more schools across London in the near future.

Warfare and wind tunnel: engineers, physicists, and the evolution of combat aircraft 1914-1918

Abstract The British aircraft industry was transformed across the course of the First World War. Annual output grew exponentially, while by 1917-1918 the intensity of wartime research and development saw technologically advanced machines seeking air supremacy in all theatres of operation, most notably the Western Front. Capability had been inhibited by the absence of reliable, high performance power units, but ultimately production and procurement problems were resolved. This heroic narrative warrants qualification given the high ratio of poor to outstanding aircraft and the reality that in August 1914 Britain was by no means wholly unequipped to wage war in the air: the development programmes of the National Physical Laboratory and Royal Aircraft Factory, and the Royal Naval Air Service’s collaboration with science-based companies such as Short Brothers run counter to a popular belief that machines were still crudely built and militarily ineffective. There existed a working partnership between pioneer engineers and designers, schooled in applied science at metropolitan technical colleges, and graduate physicists and mathematicians encouraged by far-sighted dons to join a fledgling but fast-growing industry. That fusion of theory and practice, academic and industrial, was consolidated once British science’s human assets were mobilised to wage ‘industrial war’. Yes, aviation saw huge changes across the War, but the continuity is striking: before 1914 designers and air frame manufacturers were drawn from both the shop floor and the varsity, a wartime infusion of research scientists generated remarkable advances in aeronautics and in consequence a vital extension of Allied air power; and after 1918 companies survived retrenchment thanks to a durable combination of the entrepreneurial engineer and the experimental analyst.

The British sciences and the Great War: myths and histories

Abstract The history of the relations of science and war in the United Kingdom during the Great War has been the subject of much mythologising by scientists and by historians. Those myths need to be understood, not ignored. Contrary to those myths the UK had a powerful military-scientific complex prior to the Great War, which was greatly expanded during it, not least by the recruitment of physicists to it.

ABOUT SOME APPROACHES TO THE INTERNATIONAL LAW IN BRITISH SCIENTISTS’ RESEARCHES (PART I)

The purpose of the research. At the present time there is a shortage of scientific researches devoted to the concepts of the international law of foreign countries. At the same time, there is a significant need for such works, since any interstate cooperation, as well as confrontation, requires a detailed knowledge of the approaches to the international law of the relevant country. In this context Great Britain stands out. Positions of Great Britain continue to have a significant impact on the formation of the approaches to the international law of the Anglo-Saxon legal family states. Largely due to the ideas of the British the foundations of the pan-Western system of views on the international law were laid. This article deals with the interpretation of various international law issues by the representatives of scientific schools of several universities in Great Britain. The positions of these scientists concerning the essence and meaning of the international law, its application are of interest from the point of view of their comprehension on the basis of Russian approaches. That is the purpose of this article. Results. The approaches of British scientists to the international law considered in the article demonstrate both similarities and differences in comparison with the domestic international legal doctrine. These include: the vision of the international law as simply a set of rules or as a complex system; the role of normativity in the international law; analysis of some of the weak and strong sides of the international law; international law criticism of the foreign policy courses of certain countries, including Great Britain and the Unites States; consideration of Russia as a country that supports special, far from Western, approaches to the international law.

FEATURES OF THE USE OF THE TERMS “OVERSEAS STUDENT”, “FOREIGN STUDENT” AND “INTERNATIONAL STUDENT” IN DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS

The article analyzes the peculiarities of using the terms “overseas student”, “foreign student” and “international student” in various educational and cultural contexts. It was found that British scientists prefer to use the term “international student”, because it better reflects the realities of globalization, internationalization and student mobility, which meets the modern needs of educational institutions and the international community. It is emphasized that the term “foreign student” remains the dominant term in Ukrainian education due to its legal certainty and established practice, however “international student” is also gradually coming into use, especially in the context of European integration and educational exchanges. Analysis of the use of the terms “foreign” and “international” student on the example of the British Council and HESA shows how important is the correct definition of students in international education statistics. A change in the HESA counting methodology in 2009, when students were classified by nationality rather than place of residence, revealed a significant difference in the number of international students in the UK (a difference of 32%), highlighting the extent to which counting methodology can influence research outcomes and state policy.

Sir Harold Ridley as the Pioneer of Intraocular Lenses: His Inspiration Drawn From World War II Pilots.

This article underscores the monumental contributions of Sir Harold Ridley to the development of intraocular lenses (IOLs), which have revolutionized cataract surgery. Sir Harold Ridley, a British ophthalmologist and medical scientist, drew inspiration from the injuries of World War II pilots to pioneer the first successful IOL implantation in 1949 at St. Thomas's Hospital. The lens, made from Perspex CQ, marked the inception of modern cataract surgery. Despite facing considerable skepticism and resistance from the medical community throughout the 1950s and 60s, Ridley's perseverance led to the gradual acceptance of IOLs by the 1970s. Today, Ridley is rightfully recognized as the "father of the intraocular lens," with his groundbreaking work having profoundly impacted the field of ophthalmology and improved the quality of life for millions globally.

Revisiting the voices from the Margins: A Study of Subaltern Narrative in Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome

The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh delves into the subaltern narrative giving voice to marginalized people often overlooked in mainstream literature. The narrative draws on the themes of identity, power, and history through its characters and their experiences challenging traditional narratives and offers a unique perspective on the complexities of colonialism, science, and storytelling. The novel resurfaces the issues of defiance and resistance against the imperial power and its’ hegemony as depicted by Ghosh through the characters like Murugan, Mangala and Laakhan against British scientist Roland Ross and his associates. In the juncture of scientific research about the Malaria in colonial India, Ronald Ross was assisted by the Indian people, however, their contribution remained excluded in colonial historiography which Ghosh's narrative stages to revisit the colonizer's discriminatory policy. Meantime, this study triggers on the voice of the voiceless to subvert the 'orientalism' in Westerners' historiography by staging the voice of the oppressed in the domain of subaltern studies envisaged by Spivak and others. In so doing, it valorises the voice the subalterns by constituting an academic discourse for their age-longed muffled silence.

Blurring borders in intralingual translation research: the case of journalistic translation

ABSTRACT Intralingual translation research is on the rise, as evidenced by the numerous recent publications and academic events on this subject. Some scholars have (re)defined and typologized intralingual translation, attempting to shed light on an otherwise seemingly nebulous concept. However, in view of the complexity and diversity of the practices that can be studied under the umbrella term of intralingual translation, a blurred borders approach might be preferable. In the present paper, this position is supported by means of two case studies on (intralingual and intersemiotic) journalistic translations or remediations for social media. The two objects of study are an infographic by Mexican information design company Pictoline and a video by British science magazine New Scientist. A comparative analysis of these multimodal and multimedia texts and their news sources illustrates the fuzzy borders between intralingual and intersemiotic translation, as well as between the different types of the former. If we wish to describe intralingual translation separately from the other Jakobsonian types, this can be done on the basis of its aim or purpose, its target users, its text type or field, or its use of different media or technologies.

Defending cells against dangers in schools

Running an outreach session can be daunting, but it also gives us the opportunity to step away from the lab and have some fun! Around British Science Week 2024, I used a Biochemical Society outreach grant to create and distribute packs of a game I developed, Cell Survival, to schools. Using this, I introduced cells and the mechanisms they use to adapt to changes in their environment to primary school pupils around the country. These resources helped to teach, engage and inspire pupils, and (most importantly) let them have a great time!

Psychical Inertia: Origins and Transformations

In this article I map a set of points that could begin to tell the story of inertia’s trajectory from physics and physiology to figurations of psychic life in Freudian psychoanalytic theory. Both preceding and contemporaneous with Freud’s use of the concept of inertia to describe an element of psychic life, work was taking place in other intellectual and geographical contexts to translate this law of physics and physiology to a property of mental life. As a particular illustration of this, I examine a lecture given by British scientist Michael Faraday in 1818, wherein he makes the leap from the inertia of matter to ‘mental inertia’ and is arguably the first recorded thinker to do so in the English language. I then explore the use of the phrase ‘psychic inertia’ in 1900 by Scottish physiologist D.F. Harris and argue that Harris’s work is not only emerging at the same time as Freud’s discoveries, but that he prefigures Freud’s ideas about the relationship between inertia and the death drive in interesting ways. The final part of the paper returns to sketch out Freud’s engagement with the concept in several of his papers.

STUDIES OF ENGLISH TOWNS DURING THE REIGN OF HENRY VI IN BRITISH HISTORIOGRAPHY

The relevance of the research is determined by the increased interest, as well as revision of approaches to the study of medieval towns. The purpose of the study is to identify the main features in the study of English towns during the reign of Henry VI in British historiography. Materials and methods. The research uses such historical methods as historical-genetic, historical-comparative, retrospective, historical-biographical ones, as well as the principle of historicism. Thanks to the use of these methods, the works of English-speaking historians related to the problem of the development of English towns in the specified time period were processed. For the first time, the author specifically refers to the research by British scientists of English towns during the reign of Henry VI – a time characterized by great social tension, many conflicts and fewer sources than the previous and subsequent periods. Study results. Henry VI was less popular than other kings of England in the XV century. He was considered to be a weak ruler, a “madman on the throne” and one of the most unhappy kings. At this, towns that play an important role in the socio-political and economic development of the state were developing in England during his reign. The article examines the research of British historians concerning the towns of the era of Henry VI. The author examines how approaches to assessing the reign of the king and the history of English towns of this time have changed using the example of the works of British scientists. In particular, the classical works of F. Maitland, J.M. Trevelyan, as well as the works of modern researchers, for example, R.A. Griffiths. Special attention is paid to the relationship between an English late medieval town and the royal power, and the evolution of British scientists views – from “antiquaries” to modern researchers – on the history of towns in general and on the peculiarities of urban development in the era of Henry VI in particular is considered. Conclusions. Towns played an important role in all areas of the English society. The royal government showed great interest in towns as participants in the internal political, economic and social processes in England in the middle of the XV century. According to the results of the study, it was found that, despite an increasing interest in the study of a medieval town in the English-language historiography, at the moment it can be stated that there is still insufficient knowledge on the development of a town during the reign of King Henry VI.

Citation Elites in Polytheistic and Umbrella Disciplines: Patterns of Stratification and Concentration in Danish and British Science

The notion of science as a stratified system is clearly manifested in the markedly uneven distribution of productivity, rewards, resources, and recognition. Although previous studies have shown that institutional environments for conducting research differ significantly between national science systems, disciplines, and subfields, it remains to be shown whether any systematic variations and patterns in inequalities exist among researchers in different national and domain specific settings. This study investigates the positioning of citation elites as opposed to ‘ordinary’ researchers by way of examining three dimensions of concentration (accumulation of publications and citations, specialisation, and institutional concentration) in biology, economics and physics in Denmark and the UK. Across all three dimensions, we put Richard Whitley’s bipartite theory to the test, suggesting a nexus between the intellectual structure of a discipline and the configuration of its elite. The study draws on a dataset of researchers who published most of their publications in either physics, biology, or economics over the 1980–2018 period and with at least one publication in 2017–2018 while affiliated to either a British or a Danish university. We find higher degrees of concentration in the UK compared to Denmark, and that physics and biology respectively display the greatest and lowest degree of concentration. Similar patterns in disciplinary differences are observed in both countries, suggesting that concentration patterns are largely rooted in disciplinary cultures and merely amplified by the national context.

Nineteenth-century Japanese and British science in context: an introduction to transnational-comparative studies

This special issue focuses on the complex cultural connections between Japanese and British science in the nineteenth century. This was a period when intellectuals around the globe began to interact more intensively due to increased opportunities to travel and the growth in translations of important scientific works into many languages. This was also an era when, in the latter part of the century, Japanese intellectuals were searching for ways to modernize their culture, while in Britain there was a renewed interest in Japanese culture and religion as traditional forms of thought were being questioned. Although there has been some excellent scholarly work on the impact of British evolutionary theory on Japanese intellectuals, the fuller picture of cultural exchange across all the sciences has yet to be undertaken. This special issue will begin to close this historiographical gap by examining the intersection of nineteenth-century Japanese and British science across a range of disciplines from engineering, chemistry and physics to biology, sociology and anthropology.

History and Legacy of Alan Turing for Computer Science

Throughout history we encounter some personalities who think ahead of their time and, in many cases, are misunderstood or even wronged. However, they all have one thing in common: they are geniuses who find impressive solutions to complex problems. This article aims to carry out, through bibliographical research using qualitative data analysis methodology, a historical review of one of the important personalities who wrote his name in history and has great relevance in the development of modern computing: Alan Mathison Turing or how it is known: Alan Turing. Considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, he made his great contribution to humanity by developing, in 1936, through an academic article, an automatic machine ("a-machine", which was later called the Turing), who could read and write different numbers and symbols. This article covers since his birth, covering his academic trajectory, understanding a little of his mentality and vision around machines and technological equipment, his partnerships and some interesting facts about his life. Thus, it can be understood that, even at that time, it was already possible to visualize the signs of the first computational logics and realize that machines have dynamics beyond human understanding, as they can also learn from humans and other machines and, best of all, Above all, transmit this knowledge with quality. Thus realizing the legacy and historical milestone that this British mathematician, computer scientist, philosopher and biologist left for the modern and contemporary world in which we live today.

The impact of British chemistry and physics upon Japanese science in the late nineteenth century: the Williamson–Sakurai connection at University College London

The Meiji period between 1868 and 1912, when the introduction of Western science into Japan started in earnest, was also the time when specialization became an increasingly pressing and complex issue in natural science, especially in Victorian Britain where specialization went hand in hand with ‘interconnectedness’ between various fields of study. This article examines the impact of this complicated situation surrounding ‘specialization’ in nineteenth-century British science on Meiji Japan, taking chemistry and physics (natural philosophy) teaching at University College London (UCL) in the 1870s as an example. It reveals how chemistry and physics became interconnected with each other in UCL's science education by the presence of its chemistry professor, Alexander William Williamson (1824–1904), and the impact of this connection on Japanese science with a focus on Williamson's Japanese student, Sakurai Jōji. This paper argues that the interconnectedness of UCL's chemistry and physics significantly affected the disciplinary identity of the Department of Chemistry at the Imperial University of Tokyo through Sakurai.

The Brahmanisation of Indian Sociology or the Birth of the Racial Theories of Untouchability

This article shows how untouchability was framed as an ethnographic problem largely through a racial and Brahmanical perspective by looking at some of the main interventions made by British and Indian social scientists on this topic, such as H.H. Risley, G.S. Ghurye and Radhakamal Mukerjee. Dalit traditions, knowledge and theories about their origin were discarded and suffered an epistemicide. Reassessing the history of untouchability as an ethnographic concept is critical as the influence of these theories can still be perceived not only in common understandings about the origin of Dalits but also in the way sociology and anthropology are practised in India.

"Думка – відчуття": концептуальний ландшафт "принципів мистецтва" Р. Дж. Колінгвуда

Background. The theoretical field of the English philosopher, historian of science, and art theorist Robin George Collingwood (1889-1943) covers a wide range of problems. The article deals specifically with the phenomenon of "thinking – feeling", which requires actualization and clear delineation due to the current increasing attention to the tendencies in the development of various culture-making models. Methods. The author uses uses the potential of the chronological (principles of historicism), analytical and systemic methods (in anatomizing and synthesizing the development of historical and cultural stages), and comparative (in comparison of theoretical conclusions) methods, as well as the principles of the cultural studies approach (interdisciplinarity, personalization, dialogism). Results. Since the understanding of the nature of both "thinking" and "feeling" has a long and controversial history, it is important to reconstruct all its components, among which the concept of "thinking-feeling" proposed by R.G. Collingwood occupies a prominent place. The article presents both the position of the English philosopher and the general for Ukrainian humanities theoretical interpretation of thinking and feeling, and also the results of the comparative analysis of R.G. Collingwood's views and the orientations of contemporary philosophers, cultural critics, and art historians. Considering that R.G. Collingwood created the "thinking-feeling" concept to support the understanding of a wide problematic field related to artistic creativity, art history, and trends in its development in the first decades of the XX century, the article uses the formal-logical structure of "conceptual landscape" to identify and analyze his theoretical guidelines. In this context, R.G. Collingwood's attitude towards English Romanticism, which gave the world a number of outstanding poets, is of particular importance. While writing "The Principles of Art", English scientist was concerned with developing new models for the study of artistic thinking as the exhaustion of Romanticism was becoming apparent at that time. Conclusions. Given that the "conceptual landscape" is a structure that determines scientific novelty, the article stresses the need for a theoretical attribution of the concepts of "thinking" and "feeling" in "The Principles of Art" art-historical dimension. Сomprehensiveness of R.G. Collingwood's study meets the requirements of an interdisciplinary approach, one of the cornerstones of cultural analysis.

"Are We to Treat Human Nature as the Early Victorian Lady Treated Telegrams?" British and German Sexual Science, Investigations of Nature and the Fight Against Censorship, c. 1890-1940.

"Are We to Treat Human Nature as the Early Victorian Lady Treated Telegrams?" British and German Sexual Science, Investigations of Nature and the Fight Against Censorship, c. 1890-1940.

EVOLUCIÓN TECNOLÓGICA DE LOS ELECTROLIZADORES PARA LA PRODUCCIÓN DE HIDRÓGENO

Electrolysis is a chemical process that uses electric current to carry out chemical reactions. It was first discovered by the British scientist Michael Faraday in 1833, who conducted a series of experiments in which he passed an electric current through solutions of salts in water. He found that positively charged ions, known as cations, moved towards the negative electrode (anode), while negatively charged ions, known as anions, moved towards the positive electrode (cathode). Faraday also showed that the amount of substance deposited on the electrodes during electrolysis is proportional to the intensity of the electric current and the time of application.

Teori Evolusi Charles Darwin Perspektif Al-Qur’an

<p>This paper will analyze the theory of human evolution that developed in the West and the theory of human evolution explained in the Qur'an with an interpretive approach. The method used in this writing is to use qualitative methods sourced from sharing books related to the above problems. The approach to the method of interpretation of the Qur'an uses thematic methods, because this method can examine contemporary problems. The theory of evolution began to be studied and debated in the 6th century BC, Diwali by the Greek philosophers Anaximander, Empedocles, Lucretius, the same opinion was also expressed by the Arab biologist Al Jahiz, the Persian philosopher Ibn Miskawaih, the Ikhwan As-Shafa, and the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. Furthermore, the theory of evolution was published by an English scientist named Charles Darwin, the results of his research on evolution, especially human evolution, explained that the theory of evolution was not created by God but stood alone. This opinion caused debate among scientists and religionists, especially Islam, rejected because it contradicted the Qur'an.</p>