Scholars
Leading intellectuals in the fields of history, philosophy and science
The Other Vitruvian Man
Was Leonardo da Vinci's famous anatomical chart actually a collaborative effort?
February 2012 |
By Toby Lester
Revisiting The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Recently reissued, William L. Shirer's seminal 1960 history of Nazi Germany is still important reading
February 2012 |
By Ron Rosenbaum
The Largest Ceratosaurus
How many species of this rare, ornamented genus were there?
January 19, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaur Division is All in the Hips
Thanks to one 1888 paper, paleontologists still divide dinosaurs between the bird-hips and lizard-hips
January 17, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Way of the Dinosaur
"Going the way of the dinosaur" is a popular phrase, but one drawn from bizarre 20th century ideas that dinosaurs were due for an extinction
January 11, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaurian Snorkels, Air Tanks and Tubas
Parasaurolophus is one of the most perplexing dinosaurs - what did it use its huge crest for?
January 10, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Charles H. Sternberg’s Lost Dinosaurs
On December 6, 1916, a German military vessel sunk a highly-valued shipment of Canadian dinosaurs.
January 09, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
China’s Dinosaur Folklore
Dinosaur tracks aren't just scientific curiosities--they have also inspired many legends in China
January 04, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Creating the Age of Reptiles
Why is an image of the Garden of Eden considered art, while an exquisitely detailed depiction of Jurassic life is derided as juvenile junk?
January 03, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Top Ten Science Blog Posts of 2011
Cats, zombies, earthquakes, chickens--our readers have an eclectic taste
December 28, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
A Mysterious Thumb
What did Iguanodon use its big thumb spikes for—stabbing attackers, breaking into seeds, or possibly stripping foliage from branches?
December 27, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
It has become one of the great legends of World War I. But what really happened when British and German troops emerged from their trenches that Christmas Day?
December 23, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Huxley’s Apocryphal Dinosaur Dinner
Fossil lore says 19th century naturalist T.H. Huxley realized that birds were dinosaurs when he carved into a Christmas turkey, but what really happened?
December 22, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Hitchcock’s Primeval Birds
Paleontologist Edward Hitchcock was one of the first dinosaur track experts, but why did he insist that birds left the footprints?
December 19, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
A Comedy of Dinosaur Errors
If any dinosaur has a tortured history, it's the giant predator Saurophaganax
December 16, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Read Sir Isaac Newton’s Works Online
Cambridge University is digitizing its collection of works by Newton and other revolutionary scientists of the past
December 14, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Dinosaurs In Space!
It's not just science fiction—dinosaurs have already been in space twice
December 12, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Emperor Wang Mang: China’s First Socialist?
In A.D. 9, the Chinese emperor nationalized his state's land and redistributed it to the peasantry. That revolutionary act cost him his throne and his life—and even now his motives remain unclear
December 09, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Who Wrote the First Dinosaur Novel?
A decade before The Lost World debuted, one science fiction writer beat Arthur Conan Doyle to the dinosaurian punch.
December 08, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Lambe’s Lazy, Scavenging Gorgosaurus
Back when tyrannosaurs were new to science, paleontologist Lawrence Lambe cast them as bumbling scavengers that ate rotten flesh
December 01, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
