A new exhibit has been unveiled for the world premiere of the Artisans of Florence’s Galileo: Scientist, Astronomer, Visionary exhibition that may be able to answer that question. Galileo’s revolutionary ideas were well ahead of his time. His astronomical discoveries demonstrated that the Earth revolves around the Sun as it spins on its own axis […]
Is it possible to see the world spin from Earth? Read More »
David Unaipon (1872 – 1967), a Ngarrindjeri man of the Coorong region of South Australia, was an author, inventor, evangelical preacher, and political activist. His many significant accomplishments during a period that book-ends Australian federation challenged the prejudiced stereotypes held about Aboriginal people. Unaipon spent much of his life reading science books and was particularly
Australia’s da Vinci Read More »
With so many of us having experienced lockdown due to the Coronavirus this year, it is no surprise that home-baked bread has become a global trend. In 2013 the British Museum asked renowned chef, Giorgio Locatelli, to recreate a loaf of bread based on an archaeological discovery from Herculaneum in 1930. The carbonised loaf found,
2000 year old bread Read More »
Did you know that the word technology has its origins in the Ancient Greek word, techne? Over 2000 years ago the Ancient Greek natural philosopher Aristotle (384–322BC) used the term techne in his teachings to describe the crafts and sciences, most notably through mathematics. The concept of science in this ancient world view focused on
Thank the Greeks for technology Read More »
One of the many things that history teaches us is the importance of perspective. When a series of outbreaks of bubonic plague ravaged northern and central Italy from 1629 – 1631 Galileo, who lived in Tuscany, was forced into quarantine. A friend of Galileo’s reflected on the three year period feeling “like a thousand years.” In
Tips from Galileo on living through a pandemic Read More »
Since the dawn of technology, humans have sought ways of using machines and inventions to make work easier. Even though we can use machines to create mechanical advantage, it is sadly not possible for any machine to produce more energy than is put into it. As Albert Einstein put it, “Energy cannot be created or
Perpetual motion: a long history Read More »
Four hundred years ago Galileo made a discovery that fundamentally shaped our understanding of the universe and our place in it. Using his powerful telescope he observed that the planet Jupiter had moons, which he initially thought to be planets. In March 1610, Galileo published his discoveries of Jupiter’s satellites and other celestial observations in
Galileo’s Icy Moon Read More »
Have you ever wondered why a boat made of steel floats in water while a solid bar of steel sinks? You might also wonder how the measurement of heat is related to buoyancy. At the start of the 17th Century, scientists wracked their brains to find a way to accurately detect the temperature of a
Galileo’s Thermometer Read More »
Did you know that Galileo read people’s horoscopes as a side business? In Europe during the late Renaissance Astrology played a very important role for many people and was highly regarded as a “science” alongside Astronomy and Mathematics. Military generals and noblemen would choose a particular date for their wedding or plan an important battle
Galileo the Astrologist Read More »
In Galileo’s time, clocks weren’t very accurate or reliable. They were regulated by small rods driven back and forth by a weight attached to a cord. The clock’s speed was adjusted by moving the small weights that hung from the rod. Following the death of Galileo’s father in 1591 the famous French polymath Marin Marsenne,
Galileo, the grandfather of clocks Read More »