science – Allison Thurman

Happy (belated) Halloween/Samhain/All Hallows/etc! I can’t top the biggest early modern European news of the last 2 weeks (Christopher Marlowe Officially Credited As Co-Author Of 3 Shakespeare Plays) but I’ll try:

Renaissance Europe Was Horrified by Reports of a Sea Monster That Looked Like a Monk Wearing Fish Scales: Charles. G. M. Paxton, a statistical ecologist/marine biologist, thinks he’s successfully identified this creature of legend and a dozen Renaissance bestiaries. Paxton has addressed several other sea monsters as well – his prior publications intrigue.
My Favorite Lecture – “Witches: Sex & Science in the 16th Century”: academic but humorous, with an emphasis on what people “knew” vs. what is factually true. New podcast but if this is representative it looks promising!
Spiritualism, Science, and the Mysterious Madame Blavatsky: brief biography of the controversial nineteenth century occultist in conjunction with an academic paper about her contributions to the modern New Age. Mystic? Charlatan? Both? Never dull, at any rate.

Happy new year all!

The Death of an Occult Bromance: Mr. Kelley Goes to Walton Ledale – crosses my desk just as I’m editing my necromancy scene. Though Dee and Kelley didn’t split over the incident in Walton le Dale (it happened before they met, if it happened at all), EsoterX rightly points out that partnerships based on secrecy and spiritual risk tend to magnify personal and philosophical differences.
The Science of Life and Death in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – the nineteenth century science and beliefs that informed Mary Shelley’s gothic classic.
Crowley’s Children – Aleister Crowley’s influence on rock and roll and rock and rollers. Some genuinely embraced his beliefs; others just thought “do as thou wilt” sounded cool. Relevant this week as the author lists David Bowie (RIP) as a fan.
Researchers to build massive ice bridge from Da Vinci’s 1502 design – based on a centuries-old illustration, the builders will reinforce the ice bridge with very modern paper fiber.

Tag: science