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The Pharmakon of Shame
Read more: The Pharmakon of ShameSéan Kennedy and Joseph Valente, editors of Irish Shame, explore the intricate relationship between empathy and shame in this blog.
How colonial violence in Tasmania helped build scientists’ reputations and prestigious museum collections
by Jack Ashby, University of Cambridge Readers are advised this article contains the names of Aboriginal people who have died, and mentions attempted genocide, violence towards and offensive language about Aboriginal peoples. We might imagine that scientists gain recognition thanks…
The Shanghai Museum, the Giant Panda, and Environmental Awareness in China
By Li-Chuan TAI In 1869, when French Lazarist Father Armand David (1826–1900) “discovered” the giant panda in Moupin, Sichuan province of Southwest China, no other Westerners had ever encountered one, and even Chinese people outside of the area had very…
The Importance of Legacy in the Histories of Mycologists
By Nathan Smith How many animals can you name? How many plants? The answer to both questions is probably quite a few and, indeed, the total would probably number in the hundreds for both were you to sit down and…
John Ray and Archives of Natural History
English naturalist John Ray was born in November 1627. Generally regarded as one of the earliest English parson-naturalists, he is credited as “the originator of the criterion of common parentage for conspecificity”. Ray wrote widely on botany, natural theology, taxonomy…
Richard Owen: an overlooked parasitologist
Who was Richard Owen? Richard Owen (1804–1892) is one of the most important British biologists of the nineteenth century. He made significant contributions in the field of comparative anatomy. One aspect of his scientific output continues to be overlooked, namely…
A watercolour of a stranded sperm whale from the late seventeenth century
In their article from the Archives of natural history, Klaus Barthelemess and Ingvar Svanberg discuss a painting from a manuscript album, known as Kungsboken. This contains various documents of military relevance assembled during the rule of the Swedish kings Charles…
From the Archives – Patron’s Review – The role of the moving image in natural history
Images of natural history, whether stationary or moving, have the capacity to affect the emotions of an audience. Through the creation of narratives, anthropomorphic reflection and knowledge transfer, they have the power to change perceptions and behaviour. In our featured…
A taxidermist’s working life in the 19th Century
An April article in Archives of natural history gives a fascinating insight into the life of Charles Francis Adams, a young American who prepared, stuffed and mounted the skins of birds and mammals for display. It also details the early…