by Len Fisher | 18 May 2015 | Mini Stories from Science
Scientific ideas can come to anyone, and come from anywhere. In the case of the nineteenth-century German physician Julius von Mayer, they came from seeing horses sweat as they pulled a heavy load up a hill. Stimulated by his observation, he was the first to conceive... 
by Len Fisher | 8 May 2015 | Mini Stories from Science
I collect encyclopedias. They occupy a wall-length bookcase in an upper room of my house, whose floor had to be reinforced to take them. I collect them because I am interested to see how knowledge and understanding have changed over time. That change is nowhere better... 
by Len Fisher | 3 May 2015 | Food & Gastronomy: Media and Writing, Stray Thoughts
Following the last post, here is Rumford’s own description of how he worked out the true nature of heat. by Len Fisher | 1 Jul 2006 | Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Daily Telegraph, July 2006 It is a scientific fact that heat makes us more irritable, but is it also addling our brains? Wine lovers were alarmed to be told yesterday that red wine should be stored in the fridge when temperatures soar. So what else can we do to make...