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History of Science and Natural History
Research Guide
What is History of Science and Natural History?
History of Science and Natural History is the academic study of the development of scientific knowledge, practices, institutions, and natural history collections over time, encompassing biographical, institutional, and conceptual analyses of scientific progress.
The field contains 126,690 works documenting the evolution of scientific disciplines and natural history. Star and Griesemer (1989) analyzed cooperation between amateurs and professionals in Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology from 1907-39 using concepts like boundary objects. Reference works such as the 'Dictionary of Scientific Biography' by Gillispie (1974) and Miller (1981) provide essential biographical data on scientists.
Research Sub-Topics
Institutional History of Science
This subfield examines the development of scientific institutions, museums, and professional networks, including boundary objects and amateur-professional interactions. Researchers analyze organizational dynamics in places like Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
Gender and Race in Science History
Studies the intersections of gender, race, and nature in modern science, exemplified by analyses of primatology and scientific representation. Researchers explore identity politics and power structures in scientific narratives.
Scientific Biography and Prosopography
Comprehensive biographical studies of scientists through dictionaries and collective analyses of scientific careers and networks. Researchers compile and interpret life histories to trace intellectual lineages.
History of Scientific Instruments
Examination of the development and impact of scientific instruments like diffraction gratings on experimental practices. Researchers study instrument design, innovation, and their role in knowledge production.
Biographical History of Industrial Chemistry
Biographies of key figures like Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch in transforming agricultural chemistry and food production. Researchers investigate the scientific, ethical, and societal impacts of their innovations.
Why It Matters
Historians of science use these studies to trace institutional dynamics, as in Star and Griesemer (1989), who detailed how boundary objects facilitated collaboration in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, influencing modern museum practices. Biographical resources like Miller's (1981) review of the 'Dictionary of Scientific Biography' enable precise reconstructions of scientific careers, supporting education and policy. Recent news on federal science funding history, such as 'A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science' (2025), highlights how U.S. investments post-World War II propelled biomedical breakthroughs, with NSF data tracking R&D obligations from 1951–2024.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
'Dictionary of Scientific Biography' by Miller (1981), as it reviews the complete indexed set as an indispensable starting reference tool for biographical facts in history of science.
Key Papers Explained
Star and Griesemer (1989) in 'Institutional Ecology, `Translations' and Boundary Objects' establishes models of collaboration that inform institutional histories like those in Haraway's 'Primate Visions' reviewed by Rossiter (1990), which critiques cultural biases in science. Miller (1981), Gillispie (1974), and Kragh (1970) on 'Dictionary of Scientific Biography' provide foundational biographies supporting these analyses. HighWire Press's 'Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. B' (1886) offers primary historical documents underpinning all.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Recent preprints like 'The British Journal for the History of Science' (2025) examine BBC programs on science museums from the 1950s-1970s, including the 1971 series Within These Four Walls. News on 'History of Federal Science Funding – AHA' (2025) traces U.S. investments since founding. Tools such as Seshat and Specify7 enable data-driven historical research on global and collection-based history.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. B | 1886 | — | 10.0K | ✕ |
| 2 | Institutional Ecology, `Translations' and Boundary Objects: Am... | 1989 | Social Studies of Science | 10.0K | ✕ |
| 3 | Dictionary of Scientific Biography | 1981 | Reference Services Review | 2.4K | ✕ |
| 4 | Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Mode... | 1990 | Journal of American Hi... | 2.3K | ✕ |
| 5 | Dictionary of Scientific Biography | 1970 | — | 1.4K | ✕ |
| 6 | <i>Dictionary of Scientific Biography</i>. | 1974 | Isis | 1.4K | ✕ |
| 7 | Diffracting Diffraction: Cutting Together-Apart | 2014 | Parallax | 1.4K | ✕ |
| 8 | XLII. <i>On a remarkable case of uneven distribution of light ... | 1902 | The London Edinburgh a... | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 9 | <i>Encyclopedia of Volcanoes</i> | 2000 | Physics Today | 1.2K | ✕ |
| 10 | Enriching the earth: Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, and the transfor... | 2001 | Choice Reviews Online | 989 | ✕ |
In the News
History of Federal Science Funding – AHA
The United States has invested in science since the nation’s founding. Today’s research system grew out of Congressional responses to evolving national needs, geopolitical competition, and key scie...
A brief history of federal funding for basic science
States into a global science leader. In biomedical science , federal funding allowed U.S. researchers to make breakthroughs, deepening understandings of how health and disease arise from the intera...
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
United States into a global science leader. In biomedical science, federal funding allowed U.S. researchers to make breakthroughs, deepening understandings of how health and disease arise from the ...
A Brief History of Science Funding
politics, explained that government science funding as we know it began in the mid-twentieth century. Before World War II, she said, research money at universities came primarily from donors and pr...
A Brief Annotated History of Federal R&D Obligations: FYs 1951–2024 | NSF
Since the U.S. National Science Foundation was established in 1950, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics and its predecessor organizations have provided annual data on the fed...
Code & Tools
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Recent Preprints
History : Science & Medicine: Home - Library Guides
This is a small sampling of primary sources dealing with the history of medicine and science. Additional sources are listed under the various Primary Sources sections of this guide. - Biodiversity...
The British Journal for the History of Science
The paper examines BBC television programmes that feature museum spaces of science and technology, contextualizing the development of this programme type in the 1950s and 1960s with science (and hi...
History of Science and Technology: A Research Guide: HPSS
2003\. This work presents an unparalleled history of the field invaluable to anyone with an interest in the technology, ideas, discoveries, and learned institutions that have shaped our world over ...
The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science
early twenty-first century, the articles cover all disciplines, historical periods, concepts, and methodologies and philosophies. Coverage is international, tracing the spread of science from its t...
Natural History Sciences
The scientific journal **Natural History Sciences (NHS)** was founded in 2014 to publish original research in all fields of natural sciences. The journal was historically preceded by Atti della Soc...
Latest Developments
Recent developments in the history of science and natural history research include the discovery of a special opal trapping microbes in a Martian meteorite, new scans revealing Charles Darwin’s specimens, the identification of a Jurassic amphibian species, and fossils indicating wider early human migration, all reported in January 2026 (Natural History Museum; Natural History Magazine; ScienceDaily; Phys.org).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What role did boundary objects play in scientific collaboration?
Star and Griesemer (1989) described boundary objects in 'Institutional Ecology, `Translations' and Boundary Objects: Amateurs and Professionals in Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907-39' as flexible structures that allow different groups to work together while maintaining distinct viewpoints. These objects manage tension between heterogeneous actors and the need for generalizable findings. The paper models their use in museum settings from 1907-39.
What is the significance of the Dictionary of Scientific Biography?
Miller (1981) noted in his review that the 'Dictionary of Scientific Biography' became indispensable since volume one in 1970, with volume 16 providing a comprehensive index. Gillispie (1974) and Kragh (1970) also referenced it as a major reference tool. It supplies biographical information essential for history of science research.
How did federal funding shape U.S. science history?
'A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science' (2025) explains that post-World War II investments turned the U.S. into a global science leader, funding biomedical breakthroughs on health and disease. NSF's 'A Brief Annotated History of Federal R&D Obligations: FYs 1951–2024' (2025) tracks government R&D data since 1950. This funding responded to national needs and geopolitical competition.
What topics does Primate Visions cover?
Rossiter (1990) reviewed Haraway's 'Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science' as examining gender, race, and nature in primatology. The book analyzes modern science's cultural dimensions through primate studies. It spans 486 pages published in 1989.
What recent sources exist for natural history?
The 'Biodiversity Heritage Library' and 'Medical Heritage Library' provide primary sources for natural history and medicine. 'Natural History Sciences' (2025) publishes research in natural sciences, succeeding 19th-century Italian society proceedings. These resources support historical analysis of collections and discoveries.
Open Research Questions
- ? How do contemporary digital tools like Seshat Global History Databank and Specify7 transform analysis of historical scientific data?
- ? What ongoing tensions exist between amateur and professional roles in natural history museums post-1939?
- ? How has federal R&D funding allocation evolved to address current geopolitical challenges in science?
Recent Trends
News coverage from 2025 emphasizes federal science funding history, with 'A Brief Annotated History of Federal R&D Obligations: FYs 1951–2024 | NSF' detailing NSF tracking since 1950 and post-WWII shifts to government support.
Preprints highlight primary sources via Biodiversity Heritage Library and 'Natural History Sciences' , continuing 19th-century traditions.
2025GitHub projects like Seshat (founded 2011) and Specify7 advance digital management of historical data.
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