Category Archives: History of Science

Renaissance Map Forgery

Posted on December 10, 2017 by

The auction house Christie’s has withdrawn an allegedly forged Renaissance map from its auction listings after scholars and map dealers questioned its authenticity. The map is a print of Martin Waldseemüller’s famous 1507 world map, one of the first to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Cartographic History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, History in the Media, History of Science, History of the Book, Italian History, Maritime History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Making and Knowing: Early Modern Geometries

Posted on October 16, 2015 by

The Newberry Library and Northwestern University are hosting an upcoming conference: Making and Knowing: Early Modern Geometries, a History of the Book Symposium The conference will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2015 and Friday, October 30, 2015. The schedule … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History of Science, History of the Book, Information Management, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Guerre, Circulations et Transferts Culturels

Posted on January 31, 2015 by

I recently participated in a fascinating conference in Paris on “Guerre, circulations et transferts culturels de la renaissance à l’Empire” (War, Circulation and Cultural Transfers from the Renaissance to the French Empire), organized by Hervé Drévillon and Arnaud Guinier. Conference … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Union, European Wars of Religion, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, French Wars of Religion, Globalization, History of Science, History of Violence, Maritime History, Mediterranean World, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Religious Violence, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Warburg Institute Saved by Court Ruling

Posted on November 14, 2014 by

The famed Warburg Institute in London has been saved by an English court ruling. According to a press release by the Warburg Institute: “To the benefit and relief of scholars worldwide, the High Court has rejected the University of London’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Education Policy, European History, History in the Media, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Book, Humanities Education, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Problems with Big Data

Posted on April 7, 2014 by

Big Data is touted as revolutionary by many media pundits and computer enthusiasts, but there are serious limitations to the uses of so-called Big Data. An op-ed in the New York Times discusses the many problems with Big Data. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Humanities, History in the Media, History of Science | Leave a comment

When Robots Can Kill

Posted on March 22, 2014 by

Robotic technology is advancing rapidly, raising questions about decision-making processes in shooting to kill. Although robotics have many applications, much of the research on robots is funded by military services and defense contractors. This raises serious ethical questions for university … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms Control, History of Science, History of Violence, Laws of War, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

New Findings on the Black Death

Posted on January 29, 2014 by

Recent DNA research on plague victims has led to new findings on the Black Death, published yesterday at the Lancet online. According to the BBC, “A team has compared the genomes of the Justinian Plague and the Black Death to … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental History, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment