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Department of History and Philosophy of Science

 

The history and future of the Hawking effect

November 2024

Drawing together archivists, historians, physicists and astrophysicists, a workshop on 28 November marks the 50th anniversary of Stephen Hawking's key result, the evaporation of black holes.

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New research asks us to rethink the impact of oceanic travel on our view of the world

September 2024

Drawing our movement through the world as a line on a map is not an obvious idea. It has deep historical roots, and many of them can be found in maritime voyages. This is the argument made by Dr Sara Caputo in her new book Tracks on the Ocean: A History of Trailblazing, Maps and Maritime Travel.

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Revolution: nature in the time of change

August 2024

A new exhibition at the Linnean Society in London highlights the crucial role of indigenous artists in the decades around 1800 – one of the most important periods for the progression of natural history knowledge. The exhibition is co-curated by Edwin Rose and Staffan Müller-Wille.

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Sheryl Wombell wins 2024/25 Freer Prize Fellowship

August 2024

The Royal Institution has awarded the prize for Sheryl Wombell's research into the spread of medical knowledge among 17th-century elites.

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The rise, fall and revival of research on human development

August 2024

Analysing the past sheds light on the present resurgence of research on human development. That's the lesson of a new study by Nick Hopwood published in the Journal of the History of Biology.

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Unveiling Darwin's treasures

March 2024

Edwin Rose on the 200-year-old plant specimens collected on the Beagle voyage.

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Jim Bennett (1947–2023)

November 2023

Jim Bennett, pre-eminent historian of scientific instruments and former Curator of the Whipple Museum, has died at the age of 76.

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50th anniversary celebration

July 2023

An event marking the 50th anniversary of the Department was held on 13–14 July 2023.

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On the origins of Cambridge HPS: A 50th anniversary reflection

August 2022

The Department of History and Philosophy of Science was established 50 years ago, on 1 August 1972, but the story of Cambridge HPS begins in the 1930s.

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