Search Results for "expeditions"
Hill or high water
history of scienceAinsley Vinall highlights a collection of photographic slides from the 1958-59 Royal Society expedition to Southern Chile, recently added to the Society's collections.
A song of Schiehallion
history of scienceVirginia Mills discovers how Royal Society Fellows Nevil Maskelyne and Charles Hutton calculated the density of the Earth using a Scottish mountain, at the cost of a bothy and a prized fiddle.
Plenty more fish
history of scienceLouisiane Ferlier launches our new exhibition on scientific marine voyages, together with a digital version of Francis Willughby and John Ray's 'History of Fish'.
Volcanic venture
history of scienceJon Bushell tells the story of a 1962 Royal Society expedition, which journeyed to remote Tristan da Cunha to study a newly erupted volcano and determine its ecological impact.
Off the charts
history of scienceFrankie Chappell looks at the maps produced by explorers and whalers such as William Scoresby FRS, and compares them with the ways in which indigenous inhabitants recorded their lands.
The poison of Empire
history of scienceFrankie Chappell finds examples in the Royal Society's archives showing how scientific research into poisons supported colonial projects of exploration and expansion, and how the necessary role of indigenous peoples was obscured.
Terra nullius?
history of scienceRead more about the principle of terra nullius, the idea of land being unclaimed and available for the taking, and how this became key to British colonialism.
Up the Coppermine without a paddle
history of scienceRead more about a pear-shaped and lurid tale Rupert Baker found while digitising images for the Royal Society's picture library.