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“The New Crystal Palace at Sydenham,” The Illustrated London News, 21 August 1852.

New Crystal Palace at Sydenham – 1852 – First Look

In August 1852, The Illustrated London News published a first look at the new Crystal Palace attraction at Sydenham. This included a design vision for the revised glasshouse and the [...]

Pterodactyl (Oolite) statues in Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, restored 2000, damaged after 2005

Pterodactyl statues in Crystal Palace Dinosaurs | missing

Following this month’s damage to one of the most famous Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Megalosaurus, I’m reminded of the pterodactyl statues (properly, pterosaurs) that were original to the collection. Those were [...]

Ernst Mayr’s (1942) Systematics and the Origin of Species from the Viewpoint of a Zoologist. Title page

Systematics and the Origin of Species (1942) by Ernst Mayr

Ernst Mayr‘s (1904-2005) book, Systematics and the Origin of Species from the Viewpoint of a Zoologist was published in 1942 by Columbia University Press in their Columbia Biological Series. This [...]

Theodosius Dobzhansky’s (1937) Genetics and the Origin of Species. Title page

Genetics and the Origin of Species (1937) by Theodosius Dobzhansky

Theodosius Dobzhansky‘s (1900-1975) book, Genetics and the Origin of Species, was first published in 1937 by Columbia University Press in their Columbia Biological Series. This book played an important part [...]

HPSC0010 History of Modern Science

This page is in development. Please return in September 2026. Until then, please enjoy these cartoons. What are these?

HPSC0155 Science Communication Final Project

UCL’s Science Communication MSc degree culminates in a science communication project of the student’s own design. This project is documented by a project proposal in Term 3 and a final product submitted near the end […]

HPSC0041 Dissertation

Undergraduates in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) undertake final year projects resulting in dissertations or research reports. Students undertake a research project largely of their own design in the field of science […]

Cumberland Clark. 1929. Shakespeare and Science. ISBN 978-1-906267-39-1.

Shakespeare and Science: Biology, Physics, Chemistry and More from the Bard | EGP

Cumberland Clarke’s Shakespeare and Science is a monumental compilation of the William Shakespeare’s many references to natural and celestial phenomena, including a careful study of the Bard’s interest in, and dramatic use of, natural phenomena. […]

Brown Dog and His Memorial (Battersea, London) | EGP

In 1907, London medical students protested over a statue raised to a little brown dog. Bonfires burned late into the night. Large groups marched through the streets clashing with police. Gangs were arrested trying to […]

Oxford Museum of Natural History exterior on a bright, sunny day | ProfJoeCain

Oxford Museum of Natural History Meets Gothic Revival | EGP

A guided tour through key architectural and design philosophies underpinning the Oxford Museum of Natural History by Henry Acland, who played a key role in the design of the new university science museum in the […]

Professor Joe Cain

UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology

Synthesis Period in Evolutionary Studies

Comparing Tempo and Mode (1944) with Major Features (1953) by George Gaylord Simpson

Variation and Evolution in Plants (1950) by G. Ledyard Stebbins

New Evidence on Dobzhansky 1936 “Jesup” lectures

Historical Significance of George Gaylord Simpson’s Tempo and Mode in Evolution (1944)

Regular Contact with Anyone Interested: Documents of Society for the Study of Speciation | EGP

Crystal Palace Dinosaurs

New Crystal Palace at Sydenham – 1852 – First Look

Pterodactyl statues in Crystal Palace Dinosaurs | missing

GenAI in Research

Systematics and the Origin of Species (1942) by Ernst Mayr

Genetics and the Origin of Species (1937) by Theodosius Dobzhansky

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Film Night at the Grant Museum, ten years

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