British Science Research Articles

Tremoring transits: railways, the Royal Observatory and the capitalist challenge to Victorian astronomical science.

Britain's nineteenth-century railway companies traditionally play a central role in histories of the spread of standard Greenwich time. This relationship at once seems to embody a productive relationship between science and capitalism, with regulated time essential to the formation of a disciplined industrial economy. In this narrative, it is not the state, but capitalistic private commerce which fashioned a national time system. However, as this article demonstrates, the collaboration between railway companies and the Royal Greenwich Observatory was far from harmonious. While railways did employ the accurate time the observatory provided, they were also more than happy to compromise the astronomical institution's ability to take the accurate celestial observations that such time depended on. Observing astronomical transits required the use of troughs of mercury to reflect images of stars, but the construction of a railway too near to the observatory threatened to cause vibrations which would make such readings impossible. Through debates over proposed railway lines near the observatory, it becomes clear how important government protection from private interests was to preserving astronomical standards. This article revises our understanding of the role of railway companies in the dissemination of standard time and argues that state intervention was essential to preserving Victorian British astronomical science.

Intersectionality and English Voting Behaviour: And Was There a 2017 Youthquake

Intersectionality is an increasingly popular concept across several social sciences but has received little explicit attention within British political science. This note introduces the concept, identifies some problems in its application to the study of voting behaviour and illustrates its use by addressing the extent to which there was a ‘youthquake’ at the 2017 UK general election.

Gift versus Trade: On the Culture of Science Communication

This article aims at a critical reevaluation of the trading zone concept (Galison). It starts from a case study of the Faraday–Whewell collaboration in coming to terms with electrolysis experiments. The case is supposed to be an example of a trade zone of science/philosophy interaction though it demonstrates the unequal nature of the “trade.” This requires the analysis to log in some details concerning Galison’s metaphor of trading zones, which reveals its market-oriented connotations. The following criticism of the market metaphor for science applies a revised version of Boris Hessen’s argument (“commodity fetishism”) against misinterpretation of technology by some British scientists. A closer look at the ancient trade rituals in Marcel Mauss’ seminal work enables discovering another cultural pattern for describing scientific communication as opposed to trade—gift. This helps picture science as a distribution of social roles and statuses and uncovers the normative and value dimension of gift zones language.

The Guide schématique de la ligne [1957]. Tracing the infrastructure landscape along the Matadi-Kinshasa railway line (DR Congo) through a living archive

Introduction In his book The River Congo, an 1895 travelogue of his journey to the lower reaches of the Congo River, the British scientist Harry Hamilton Johnston, used an array of tactile adjectives to describe the landscape of the Bas-Congo region, largely unknown to his audience of the late nineteenth century. In one particularly colorful passage, leaving all scientific objectivity behind, Johnston discusses the “boldly shaped hills,” the “velvety woods,” the “tiny streams” and the “soundi...

‘Lovely people but utterly deluded’?

This paper argues that political scientists in Britain have, for the most part, failed to adequately understand Corbynism (i.e. the movement surrounding the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn) as a distinctive iteration of left politics. To substantiate this claim, we begin by mapping a consensus in British political science scholarship about the central features of Corbynism, namely that it is a misguided politics characterised by poor leadership, a ‘hard left’ ideological orientation, and a populist flavour. In the second part of the paper, we suggest that this unfavourable characterisation of Corbynism relies on problematic analytic assumptions about leadership, the left, and populism. Furthermore, we argue that such narratives do not withstand empirical scrutiny, largely because they fail to do justice to the heterogeneous strands that constitute the politics of Corbynism. In the final part of the paper, we offer an explanation for political scientists’ trouble with Corbyn, highlighting the continued dominance of the Westminster Model, widespread confusion surrounding the descriptive/normative relation, and considerable convergence between academic and media depictions of Corbynism. Overall, we suggest that political scientists’ failure to take seriously the full complexity of the Corbyn movement requires rectification.

The Age of Attraction: Age, Gender and the History of Modern Male Homosexuality.

In 1902, founder of the Berlin Institute for Sexual Science, Magnus Hirschfeld, developed a ‘psychobiological questionnaire’ to investigate human sexuality.1 The section labelled ‘sexual instinct’ [Geschlechtstrieb] asked: ‘What approximately are the highest and lowest limits in age of the people to whom you feel drawn, or is age of no importance to you?’2 Hirschfeld's interest in age as a driver of sexual attraction reflects broader sexual scientific attempts to map an erotics of age.3 This article explores how and why the relative age of sexual subjects was theorised by British and German sexual scientists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It demonstrates that questions around age preoccupied sexual science and argues, more specifically, that constructions of male homosexuality were driven by anxieties about interactions between children or adolescents and older men.4 In so doing, the article reveals the interrelationship between sexological debates about homosexuality and scientific explorations of childhood sexuality and adolescent development. It shows that age needs to be acknowledged as a crucial category shaping sexual scientific debate and structuring understandings of modern homosexuality.5 As is well known, the erotic charge provided by age difference was central to many culturally prominent eighteenth‐ and nineteenth‐century understandings of same‐sex desire.6 European and American elites interpreted classical (predominately Ancient Greek) cultures as providing affirmative models of youthful male beauty and intimate attachment between older and younger men or boys.7 While precise differences in age were rarely specified, partners were separated on the basis of maturity into active (the erastes) and passive roles (the eromenos). Moreover, attraction to younger same‐sex partners was not seen to exclude opposite‐sex relationships: men who desired male youths could also be married to women. The influence of this material on individual identities can be found, for example, in sexological case studies or letters received by prominent Hellenic writers.8 At the same time, this idealisation of age‐differentiated erotics reinforced existing associations between same‐sex activity and the sexual misuse of younger people by older men.9 In response, some sexual scientists sought to tease apart age‐structured and same‐sex relationships. These authors defined the male homosexual through his exclusive inborn attraction to other consenting adults. This article shows that this influential construction of the modern homosexual as a discrete congenital type emerged in direct response to considerations around age.10 It also demonstrates that, notwithstanding the emergence of this model, questions about the impact of sexual encounters with older men on a younger person's sexual development continued to be debated within sexual science, creating dialogue between theorisations of homosexuality and concurrent studies of childhood sexuality.11 As such, investigations of male homosexuality continued to revolve around urgent questions about how and when same‐sex desire emerged and what impact sexual experiences in youth had on later desires. These debates remained at the centre of early twentieth‐century sexual science in Britain and Germany, complicating the inborn model and securing the centrality of age as a key category in modern articulations of sexuality.

«تشیزمان» فی شبه الجزیرة العربیة المجهولة

هذه الدراسة تتناول الرحلة التي قام بها العالم البريطاني تشيزمان إلى الأحساء عقب الحرب العالمية الأولى. ورغم أن الجزيرة العربية شهدت في العصر الحديث عديدا من الرحلات الاستکشافية التي اختلفت في دوافعها وأزمانها وأصحابها، إلا إن رحلة تشيزمان تميزت بما لم تحظ به هذه الرحلات جميعا بموسوعيتها ودقتها وزمنها. فالرحالة عالم طبيعي جاء للبحث الجاد والدراسة العلمية للطيور والحيوانات والمعالم الجغرافية والحضارية المجهولة في هذه المنطقة، فتمخضت رحلته عن اکتشافات علمية جديدة إضافة إلى تصحيح بعض الأخطاء العلمية السابقة. وإلى جانب الوظيفة العلمية فقد کان تشيزمان – وقت الرحلة – ضابطا في الجيش البريطاني، ويشغل منصب سکرتير السير بيرسي کوکس أول مندوب سام بريطاني في العراق عقب الحرب العالمية الأولى، مما أضفى على الرحلة أهمية سياسية وعسکرية وتاريخية، خصوصا وأن صاحبها قابل الملک عبد العزيز أکثر من مرة سواء أثناء رحلته أو قبلها. کما أن تشيزمان استطاع أن يقدم لنا وصفا موسوعيا لمنطقة الأحساء من الناحية الجغرافية والإنسانية والاقتصادية والسياسية. من أجل هذا – وغيره - اکتسبت هذه الرحلة أهمية فائقة في تاريخ المنطقة. Abstract: This study deals with the journey of the British scientist Cheesman to Al-Ahsa after the First World War. Although the Arabian Peninsula in the modern times has witnessed many expeditions of different motivations, times and people, the Cheesman trip was marked by its accuracy, comprehensiveness and time. This traveler is a nature scientist came for a reliable scientific study of the birds, animals, geography and the unknown cultural landmarks. In addition to his scientific post, Cheesman - at the time of the journey - was an officer in the British army holds the secretary post to “Sir Percy Cox “ the first British high commissioner in Iraq after the First World War and that added to the journey a historical, military and political importance especially since he met King Abdul-Aziz more than one time whether during his journey or before it. Cheesman Also Cheesman provided us with an encyclopedically (comprehensiveness) description of Al-Ahsa region from the Geographically, humanitarian, economically and political aspects. For this - and others - this journey has gained great importance in the history of the region

Evaluating the ability of citizen scientists to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species.

Citizen science is an increasingly popular way of engaging volunteers in the collection of scientific data. Despite this, data quality remains a concern and there is little published evidence about the accuracy of records generated by citizen scientists. Here we compare data generated by two British citizen science projects, Blooms for Bees and BeeWatch, to determine the ability of volunteer recorders to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species. We assessed recorders’ identification ability in two ways–as recorder accuracy (the proportion of expert-verified records correctly identified by recorders) and recorder success (the proportion of recorder-submitted identifications confirmed correct by verifiers). Recorder identification ability was low (<50% accuracy; <60% success), despite access to project specific bumblebee identification materials. Identification ability varied significantly depending on bumblebee species, with recorders most able to correctly identify species with distinct appearances. Blooms for Bees recorders (largely recruited from the gardening community) were markedly less able to identify bumblebees than BeeWatch recorders (largely individuals with a more specific interest in bumblebees). Within both projects, recorders demonstrated an improvement in identification ability over time. Here we demonstrate and quantify the essential role of expert verification within citizen science projects, and highlight where resources could be strengthened to improve recorder ability.

Experience in the local use of 0.25% bupivacaine for the treatment of postoperative pain

According to British scientists, about 300 million operations are performed around the world annually. They cause acute postoperative pain, the management of which is crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Local anesthetic infiltration before closing the surgical incision is a commonly used technique in the operating room. This review focuses on the use of local anesthetic infiltration, 0.25% bupivacaine, into surgical incisions to reduce postoperative pain, as confirmed by an estimate of a reduction in the use of postoperative opioids and a visual analogue scale (VAS). The presented clinical cases and the combined analgesia scheme with infiltration of a local anesthetic into the postoperative wound were used to make it possible to argue about the effectiveness of anesthesia because on the peripheral mechanism of pain. Infiltration analgesia reduced the need for opioids and the time of stay in hospitals. It was concluded that there is a need for further research on methods of delivering anesthetics to postoperative wounds for pain management and improving the quality of treatment.

War and Peace in British Science Fiction Fandom, 1936–1945

Abstract Fans of science fiction offer an unusual opportunity to study that rare bird—a “public” view of science in history. Of course science fiction fans are by no means representative of a “gene...

A Foray Into the System of Anthropological Sciences

In philosophy, theology or modern social sciences, we can always identify an anthropological axiom, that refers to the genesis, the evolution of the human species as well as the ”human nature”. Starting with the modern period, this type of thinking found itself organized as part of some positive sciences, that can be seen as an actual ”system of anthropological sciences”, put together by British, American, French and German scientists. The English have developed what we call ”social anthropology”. In the United States, several academic disciplines have thrived as part of the ”general anthropology”: archeology, physical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology and applied anthropology. The French are mostly known for their work in the field of ethnography and ethnology. As for the Germans, they focused on studying popular culture (Volkskunde).

Snow's storm The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution C. P. Snow Cambridge Univ. Press, 1959. 52 pp.

C. P. Snow's 1959 diagnosis of a divide between British scientists and humanists took on new meaning in America

In search of blue.

New tools are aiding the age-old quest for the rarest of pigments.

The 'Scientific' phrenologist - Bernard Hollander (1864-1934).

Bernard Hollander (1864-1934), a Viennese-born British physician, scientist, and author, was best known for his late 19th century and early 20th century revival of a 'Scientific Phrenology'. Hollander, motivated by the advances in cerebral localisation and neuroscience that appeared to justify Franz Joseph Gall's (1758-1828) initial interests in craniology, hoped to use this new framework to substantively improve the lot of his patients and his community. Ridiculed and derided by his colleagues while maintaining a measure of public prominence, Hollander discussed contemporary issues including notions of human nature, mental illness, education, development, women's rights, and sociobiology. The current work focuses on Hollander, his writings, and his reception by the contemporary medical and lay community.

Political science, punditry, and the Corbyn problem

Jeremy Corbyn’s continued leadership of the Labour party has been contrary to the publicly stated expectations of many pundits and political scientists. This punditry has underpinned coverage of Corbyn and his Labour party that continually plays out in print, broadcast and social media. My claim is that the manner in which Corbyn and his supporters were discussed by prominent political scientists and pundits was reflective of a dismissive underlying attitude towards the political dynamics that his candidacy and subsequent leadership represent. In this paper, I do three things. First, I identify a group of intensely politically involved individuals who collectively hold the power to shape shared political meanings and understandings and locate some British political scientists within it. Second, I outline five points of opposition that this group had to Corbyn, demonstrating that although these maintain an appearance of objectivity, they are nonetheless normative in nature and largely conform to a dominant ideological standpoint seemingly shared among the group. Third, I reflect on the role of British political science in this context, raising concerns that our inculcation into this group might be affecting our academic endeavours as well as how we present ourselves and our work to the wider public.

Efram Sera-Shriar, ed. Historicizing Humans: Deep Time, Evolution, and Race in Nineteenth-Century British Sciences. Science and Culture in the Nineteenth Century. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018. Pp. 326. $45.00 (cloth).

Efram Sera-Shriar, ed. Historicizing Humans: Deep Time, Evolution, and Race in Nineteenth-Century British Sciences. Science and Culture in the Nineteenth Century. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018. Pp. 326. $45.00 (cloth). - Volume 58 Issue 2

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology

The Father of the Electrical Stimulation of the Ear.

: The Italian physicist Count Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery, is considered the first scientist to have stimulated the ear with electricity, and the results of his experiments were presented in June 1800, at a meeting held by the Royal Society of London. Just recently, Mudry reported an electrical stimulation of the ear performed in 1748 by Benjamin Wilson (1721-1788), a British painter and scientist. After a thorough review of the literature available from the 18th century, we found that the first electrical stimulation of the ear was done in 1747, by a scientist in Bologna, Giuseppe Veratti.

The Novums of Fiscalmancy: Speculative Finance and Speculative Fiction in Ian McDonald’sThe Dervish House

Research Article| March 01 2019 The Novums of Fiscalmancy: Speculative Finance and Speculative Fiction in Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House Hugh C. O’Connell Hugh C. O’Connell University of Massachusetts Boston Hugh C. O’Connell is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston. His current research examines the relationship between speculative fiction and speculative finance. Recent essays on British and postcolonial science fiction have appeared in Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, Modern Fiction Studies, CR: The New Centennial Review, and Paradoxa. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google CR: The New Centennial Review (2019) 19 (1): 129–154. https://doi.org/10.14321/crnewcentrevi.19.1.0129 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Hugh C. O’Connell; The Novums of Fiscalmancy: Speculative Finance and Speculative Fiction in Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House. CR: The New Centennial Review 1 March 2019; 19 (1): 129–154. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/crnewcentrevi.19.1.0129 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressCR: The New Centennial Review Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © Michigan State University Board of Trustees Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

An Unlikely Beginning: A Fortunate Life.

Elizabeth A. Bernays grew up in Australia and studied at the University of Queensland before traveling in Europe and teaching high school in London. She later obtained a PhD in entomology at London University. Then, as a British government scientist, she worked in England and in developing countries on a variety of projects concerned with feeding by herbivorous insects and their physiology and behavior. In 1983, she was appointed professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where her research expanded to a variety of topics, all related to the physiology, behavior, and ecology of feeding in insects. She was awarded a DSc from the University of London, and at about the same time became head of the Department of Entomology and regents' professor at the University of Arizona. In Arizona, most of her research involved multiple approaches to the understanding of diet breadth in a variety of phytophagous insect species.