In this episode, Amelia gets to discuss her proudest academic moment and reveal her terrible grasp on spherical algebra with the wonderful Lucinda Sheriffs. The pair offer their thoughts on how science and religion interact, and how that could be managed by science communicators. As they discuss the Golden Age of Islam, Amelia also briefly discusses how the Islamic faith interacts with science by interviewing Hafsa Mohammed about her views of the two.

Before the recording, we read:

Religion and Science (Whitehead, 1925): https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1925/08/religion-and-science/304220/

Framing Science (Nisbet and Mooney, 2007): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1142030

For more on:

Islamic Scholars, and non-western history of science in general: Horizons by James Poskett (2022)

Ibn al-Haytham: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/how-an-ancient-muslim-scientist-cast-his-light-into-the-21st-century

Al-Biruni’s globe experiment: https://owlcation.com/stem/How-to-Determin-the-Radius-of-the-Earth-Al-Birunis-Classic-Experiment

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CW: Abuse

In this episode of 'Is That Science?' Susan and her guest Dr. Richard O'Flynn (her dad!) talk about the Father of psychoanalysis himself- Sigmund Freud. A pioneer in the field of psychiatry, Freud has transcended the history of medicine and permeates popular discourse. However, the popular imagination of Freud has tended to reduce his prolific career to a few fringe concepts. In this episode, they look behind the mammoth myth of Freud and talk about the development of psychoanalysis as a scientific practice and in the modern cultural imagination.

Also, advanced apologies for the audio quality on my end!

Works mentioned:

Freud's Work:

• Analysis: Terminable and Interminable (1937) https://ia902907.us.archive.org/17/items/SigmundFreud/Sigmund%20Freud%20%5B1937%5D%20Analysis%20Terminable%20and%20Interminable%20%28James%20Strachey%20translation%2C%201961%29.pdf
• Case of Anna O, the birth of the talking cure https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Freud_and_Breuer_SE_Anna_O_complete.pdf
• On 'The Wolf Man' https://www.freud.org.uk/education/resources/the-wolf-mans-dream/
• Introductory lectures in psychoanalysis: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Introductory_Lectures_on_Psychoanalysis.html?id=Sfz0l6WSqFgC&redir_esc=y
• Totem and Taboo https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41214

On Freud

• Freud Autobiography, Ernest Jones- https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Life_and_Work_of_Sigmund_Freud.html?id=9UKoDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y
• WH Auden poem: https://poets.org/poem/memory-sigmund-freud

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In this episode of 'What's Science', Amelia discusses why scientific methods were key to forming the field of Chemistry, and science more generally, that we see today. Through thinking about their experiences with science in their undergraduate research projects, Amelia and guest Freya Anderson discuss how the scientific method came to be accepted, and some of the key scholars behind it.

Before this episode, we read these articles to prepare:

https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-method.htm

https://explorable.com/history-of-the-scientific-method)

https://aggietranscript.ucdavis.edu/the-roots-of-chemistry-how-the-ancient-tradition-of-alchemy-influenced-modern-scientific-thought/

For more information on:

How being able to 'break the rules' can make better scientists: The Republic of Science by Michael Polanyi (1962) https://www-jstor-org.manchester.idm.oclc.org/stable/41821550 (Freya warns this article is very useful, but also is quite obviously dated and includes some problematic analogies...)

On whether we should publish when things go wrong: (https://www.openpharma.blog/blog/guest-posts/the-changing-open-research-landscape-a-publishers-perspective/)

Alchemy and the elements: The Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey Williams (2011)

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CW: discussion of Death and Disease

In this episode of 'Is That Science', Susan talks with Richelle Munkhoff, co-founder of The Plain Sight Archive a non-profit organization developing an online tool and resources dedicated to a more inclusive understanding of the history of arts and culture. In this interview, Richelle discusses one area of her research conducted during her academic career, a specific role for women in the early modern period.

Women have always participated in science and held important roles in medicine. However, the inherently male-dominated tradition of these practices has a tendency to both forget and erase the pivotal part they have played in scientific development. Richelle’s work is so important because it reminds us of both the forgotten legacy of women in the foundations of science and their importance as leaders within the community. Of course, this interview will be slightly on the more history and humanities side, but I couldn't resist discussing this fascinating piece of work! We talked about the purpose of this role, how it evolved, how Richelle conducted her research and what we can learn from the Searchers.

To follow Richelle's current work follow @plain_sight_archive

Readings referenced in our discussion:

For Richelle's article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24423855

For the article I referenced in the show: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpcu.13070

Books referenced:

Boccaccio, Decameron (1353)

Thomas Dekker's "plague pamphlets" can be found in:The Plague Pamphlets of Thomas Dekker, ed. F. P. Wilson (1925) especially of interest are: "The Wonderfull Yeare: 1603" (1603) and "A Rod for Run-awayes, God's Tokens" (1625)

Daniel Defoe, Journal of the Plague Year (1722)

Elizabeth Griffith, "The Story of Miss Williams" -- appears in:Novellettes (1780) [pages 203-220]

Further reading:

For more on Richelle's research: https://heatherquinlan.medium.com/ever-heard-of-the-searchers-they-killed-romeo-and-juliet-confused-read-on-dc399a46ab42

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In this episode of ‘What’s Science’, Amelia and guests Maxine Lin and Nell Bevan discuss what objectivity means in the context of science: can we separate science from the society it operates in, and how do we know when things are true? We can’t promise actual answers, but the discussion is hopefully interesting enough to make up for it!

Before the episode we read these four articles to prepare:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/the-ideal-of-objectivity/

https://kinesismagazine.com/2020/06/18/science-isnt-objective-but-thats-okay/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8051197/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00669-2

For more information on:

Meckel’s theory that humans have a fish stage during embryogenesis and Sommerfeld’s atomic structure theories: https://www.dur.ac.uk/news/allnews/thoughtleadership/?itemno=35051#:~:text=As%20it%20happens%2C%20early%20human,our%20development%20towards%20biological%20perfection.

The Flat Earth experiment is documented in the Netflix documentary ‘Behind the Curve’

The debunking of head sizes as a sign of intelligence: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/alice-lee-statistician-debunked-sexist-myths-skull-size-intelligence-180971241/

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In this solo episode, Susan talks about her personal interest in The History of Science- medicine- and why she thinks the subject is important in the modern day. As well as this, she also exposes herself on broadcast through her deeply strange fascination with Victorian anatomical books.

Special thanks to Harriet for directing me to specific books and Amelia for the 3 hours she devoted to helping me edit!

Further reading:

For Adam Rodman's Podcast 'Bedside Rounds': http://bedside-rounds.org/

For a link to Dr Pickstone's book 'Ways of Knowing': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ways-Knowing-History-Technology-Medicine/dp/0719059941

For a link to the Dr N.D Jewson article: 10.1093/ije/dyp180

For more on the History of Medicine in general: https://wellcome.org/

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In this episode of What's Science, Amelia talks with Harriet Palfreyman, a lecturer from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at The University of Manchester, and co-director of the Science and Health Communication Masters. Covering the history of the scientific journal article, how it is evolving and what we should be looking out for when reading them, Amelia does her best to blacklist Harriet from all further academic positions - so let's keep our fingers crossed for her career!

Further Reading:

For more on the fake inventor of the toaster: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/the-reporters-63622746

For more about the history of journal articles, try exploring: https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/philosophicaltransactions/

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