Science History

The Keys to the Voynich Manuscript [edit]  while I am unable to respond to comments here due to a bug, I am making use of Neven Curlin's Arctic Forum to exchange comments under the topic It is an ancient manuscript. The keys to the Voynich Manuscript consist of Latin letters which replace the symbols in the manuscript.  I intend to publish a full chart of my findings very soon.  Meanwhile, here is a snippet of translation, using Takeshi Takahashi's transcription files. 15v  saffron oil From the Online Etymological Dictionary - crocus (n.)     late 14c.,…

Patterns of Latin in the Voynich Manuscript The Voynich manuscript, more properly identified as Beinebeck MS 408, has been a puzzle to many researchers for a few hundred years.  The first evidence of attempts to understand it consists of letters between owners and decryption experts.  There have been very many efforts made by linguists and cryptographers since the manuscript was brought to public attention in 1912. It largely disappeared from public record until 1912 when Wilfrid Voynich, an antique book dealer, bought it amongst a number of second-hand publications in Italy. Since…

The Voynich Manuscript Unzipped [edit]  while I am unable to respond to comments here due to a bug, I am making use of Neven Curlin's Arctic Forum to exchange comments under the topic It is an ancient manuscript. The Voynich Manuscript is written in Latin, using a medieval version of what we, today, call data compression.  Bear with me for a while as I demonstrate some of the oddball behaviour of language (and linguists!) by having some fun with language.  And do please follow the links for your further edification and amusement.  The Voynich Manuscript - f35r - a crocus…

How would one detail in the past affect how technology and science evolved? The a recent blog I highlighted the unique role of fossil fuels in a transition from one energy sustainable society to another future potential society. I constructed the metaphor of this current transition as launching a rocket into orbit. The topic of what might have happened if oil never formed was addressed later.  What could have happened if the properties of unusual particles were just slightly different leading to energy resources cleaner and less expensive than oil? What if it were easier to generate…

How would one detail in the past affect how technology and science evolved?  This question comes up at many scales- sometimes personal introspection on what might have been or larger scale concerning world historical events.  It offers a way to do a thought experiment concerning the important aspects and how they are connected. However, the results might only be insightful but not definitive  because any  real experiment  can never be done. Potential “What If” topics might consider access to energy resources from a slight change in physics or biology; a slightly…

Many people have predicted the end of fundamental physics.  Often these are at the end of great progress such as the late 19th century when classical physics was quite well understood, or in the midst of such a flurry of action when it seems like all the pieces are coming together such as in the 1920’s and 1930’s in nuclear and quantum physics.  Clearly, there are many mysteries and surprises yet to uncover in fundamental physics but is there a pattern in its historical progress that might indicate where we are in its completion.  This type of analysis (also called logistic…

Carbon Cycles by Arvid G. Högbom For centuries it was commonly believed that the Earth's climate is, and always has been, stable.  The idea that the climate, on the contrary, has always changed has its origins with Ignaz Venetz who, in 1821, laid the foundations of our modern knowledge of the ice ages. The acceptance of glacial advance and retreat demands acceptance of a mechanism which will cause such events.  That mechanism is climate change.  The fact that our planet's climate has always changed is now a foundation - and a very sure foundation - of modern climate science.…

The True Coin of Science There is a way of 'doing science' which has long stood the test of time.  It doesn't matter how many people support a theory, or how eminent they may be.  Nullius in verba - take nobody's word as truth. Nor is experimental 'proof' to be trusted, since the search for proof predisposes one to seek verification and validation of one's own biased view.  Experimental disproof is the key.  It takes only one well-conducted experiment to prove that a long held belief is false. Robert Boyle explained this idea of experimental disproof in terms of coins,…

Stephen Hales - Climate Science Pioneer #3 in a series Stephen Hales (1677-1761) was a clergyman who devoted much of his time to scientific pursuits, especially in conducting experiments in plant physiology. His most important work, Vegetable Staticks (published in 1727), was in plant physiology.  The dedication is to George Prince of Wales, afterwards George III.  ...  the real interest of the dedication is its clear statement of his views on the nutrition of plants.  He asserts that plants obtain nourishment, not only from the earth, " but also more sublimed and…

John Mayow - Climate Science Pioneer #2 in a series. Sir William Ramsay wrote an excellent history of the study of our atmosphere.  Below is the part of his book concerning John Mayow.  The previous part was about Robert Boyle.  The text courtesy archive.org. is error-checked for typos. The earliest accounts of the reduction in volume of a quantity of air during combustion are due to Philo of Byzantium (ca. 280 - 220 BC) and Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519).  John Mayow went much further with his experiments. Philo's experimentimage courtesy Wikipedia. Before modern…