Sunday, March 23, 2008

Respice Prospice: Why I Write About the History of Science


When I'm not posting humorous YouTube videos, or talking about by wonderful, excellent store, Trilobite Clothing, I usually post about the history of science. Why, you might ask, do I write about the history of science, as opposed to simply science?

Firstly, I am not a scientist. Therefore, my posts will never be as good as the myriad of other science bloggers who actually practice what they preach. I'm not saying that there isn't room for another good paleontology blog, but I am saying that it would be best left to a paleontologist.

Secondly, completely outside my interest in science, I'm a total history nut. When I dig around for blog posts to write, I tend to gravitate, perhaps subconsciously, to stories involving history. My three part series on avian evolution (located here, here, and here) is a good example of what tends to happen when my two passions collide. Long posts are produced, and the writing just flows. So I let it.

Now, this isn't to say that I don't blog about the latest discoveries, I actually do that a fair bit. But I hate being just another blog regurgitating content from ScienceDaily. If I was a true expert and able to expand on the article, I would, and that would be great, but like I said, I'm not actually a scientist. And actually, even some scientists agree with me! Darren over at Tetrapod Zoology has a post called Tiny pterosaurs and pac-man frogs from hell, which deals with the exact subject.

So, I think I'll stick with my odd hybrid of Science and History, and hope that there are at least a few people who it will interest.

"Sciences and history, Livin' in perfect harmony*"
* I considered using this for the title of the story, but it is way, way too hokey.

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