Keep within a water budget. Learners find out that less than 2.5% of Earth's water is available to drink—and that there is a fixed amount of water. Scholars read an interesting article comparing the available water to a game of Monopoly...

This in-depth article illustrates the concept of geologic time, and helps the learner understand why fossils are rare.

A scholarly article by Anthropology Professor Jonathan Marks on the history of scientific racism. Published in the Encyclopedia of Race and Racism.

Outlines the history of the scientific efforts that went into the discovery and mapping of the structure of DNA, spanning one hundred forty years.

An in-depth lecture and PowerPoint slideshow on the history of computing can be found here. It gives an overview of the advances in science that made desktop computers possible, starting with the invention of counting, to the...

The scientific history behind the discovery of dark matter. Questions are posed throughout about how theories are developed to provide possible explanations of natural phenomena.

A comprehensive look at the theory of eugenics, the pseudo-scientific idea that fed into the nativists' search for the "superior" American. This article explains how companies used this theory to sell their products.

Presents the history of Greek science from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD. Navigate using the menu on the left. Covers major figures in science and mathematics, their theories and beliefs, and the influence they had, as well as...

Read an excerpt from the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies" by Jared Mason Diamond. This book discusses why Eurasian civilizations have survived and conquered others while refuting the idea...

An article which discusses the size of the first animals domesticated by humans about 10,000 years ago. The author reviewed a study in which it was suggested that size reduction evidence may not be the first sign of domestication....

September 24, 1902. A new cooking school is set to open at Boston's 30 Huntington Avenue. The rooms will soon be filled with trainee cooks, who will watch in awe as the school's namesake and principal, Fannie Farmer, lectures on...

This article analyzes the philosophy contained in such works as "Leviathan." A good starting point for research on Hobbesian philosophy.

This site tells of Robert Burton's ideas and opinions on Cognitive Science; the site helps explain Robert Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy."

[Free Registration/Login Required] The mystery of what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke has gripped imaginations for centuries. Now archaeology may be able to provide answers before long. This article describes the history of the...

Discusses the influences of other cultures on ancient Greek astronomers, and the advances made by the Greeks. It highlights major astronomers and those who contributed important ideas from the 6th to the 2nd centuries BC, including...

A history of the science of cosmology, the study of the universe, and the scientists who did pioneering work in this field in the twentieth century.

Discusses the evolution of ideas about the cosmos, from the Magic Cosmology of the Neolithic age to the stage of Mythical Cosmology, to the Geometric Cosmology of the ancient Greeks. The third stage advocated a rational approach to...

An excellent look into the life of the ancient Greek intellectual thinker, Aristotle. This article details Aristotle's childhood and travels as well as his various theories.

The history of the pendulum and its importance both in timekeeping, and in how timekeeping was used to solve other problems, such as determining longitude on a map.

Article explaining the history of our scientific understanding of volcanic activity, ending with questions for students about scientific methods and historical contexts.

Article describing the history of scientific theories about continental drift, and the major researchers involved in this work.

Article describing the history of how scientists developed their current understanding of global warming. It discusses why it is difficult for some people to accept that human beings have caused the Earth to warm, without controlled...

Article describing the history of the scientific research that led to the discovery of cosmic background radiation, which, according to the Big Bang Theory, is linked to the origin of the universe.

Article describing the history of the development of the periodic table of elements, particularly the work of Dmitrii Ivanovich Mendeleev.