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The Scientific Odyssey

The Scientific Odyssey is a podcast exploration of scientific inquiry through it's history and philosophy.  New episodes weekly.

Mar 26, 2017

Following the publication of Newton's Principia, the extended process of adoption began.  In this episode, we look at what barriers there were to Newton's ideas and how they were overcome.  We also look at the acceptance of heliocentricism and the reworking of Newton's mathematical formalism up through the work...


Mar 19, 2017

In our second episode devoted to the life and work of Edmond Halley, we recount his three voyages aboard the Paramour to create a map of magnetic variation and survey the tides and currents of the English Channel.  We also cover his predictions on the return of the comet of 1682, now known as Halley's Comet,...


Mar 12, 2017

This week we look at the earlier career of astronomer, mathematician and natural philosopher Edmond Halley.  We look at the first part of his career but through about 1693 including his trips to St. Helena, Danzig and Paris.  We also look at his ideas on measuring the size of the solar system, terrestrial magnetism,...


Mar 5, 2017

In this episode we finally conclude our biographical sketch of Isaac Newton by looking at his life in the years following the publication of the Principia.  We look at his political activities following the Glorious Revolution, his friendship with John Locke, the circle of young followers the gathered around him in...


Mar 2, 2017

IN this impromptu and unscripted episode, I talk about the recent announcement of the discovery of severn earth-like world orbiting a nearby class M star now named TRAPPIST-1 after the telescope used to make the initial discovery.  I look at how exoplanets are discovered, the specifics of this discovery, what we know...