science newsletter: Newsletter for Thursday 21 March

Newsletter - March 21 - Today in Science History

TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER - 21 MARCH

Feature for Today

On 21 Mar 1768, Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier was born, the mathematical physicist whose life has to be seen in the context of the French Revolution and its reverberations. One might say his career followed the peaks and troughs of the political wave.

He was in turns: a teacher; a secret policeman; a political prisoner; governor of Egypt; prefect of Isère and Rhône; friend of Napoleon; and secretary of the Académie des Sciences.

Many of the "Big Name" scientists and mathematicians tend to be known in a one-dimensional way for a one specific lasting legacy. Perhaps the name comes to your mind for the Fourier Series. To see Fourier's life as anything but one-dimensional, read Joseph Fourier - Politician and Scientist.

Book of the Day

On 21 Mar 1917, Yigael Yadin was born, the Israeli archaeologist noted for his work on decoding and interpreting several of the Dead Sea Scrolls and his excavation at Masada, the ancient mountaintop fortress of Jewish Zealots in their revolt against Roman rule. Over his career, Yadin’s findings have shed light on various periods of ancient Israel. Today's Science Store pick is The Message of the Scrolls, by Yigael Yadin. Available Used from $0.77. (as of time of writing).

Booklist for Yigael Yadin.

Yesterday's pick: Tree Rings and Telescopes: The Scientific Career of A.E. Douglass, by George Ernest Webb.
For picks from earlier newsletters, see the Today in Science Science Store home page.

Quotations for Today
	"The deep study of nature is the most fruitful source of mathematical discoveries. By offering to research a definite end, this study has the advantage of excluding vague questions and useless calculations; besides it is a sure means of forming analysis itself and of discovering the elements which it most concerns us to know, and which natural science ought always to conserve. " - Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (born 21 Mar 1768)
	"I have always loved to begin with the facts, to observe them, to walk in the light of experiment and demonstrate as much as possible, and to discuss the results." - Giovanni Arduino, Italian geologist known as the father of Italian geology (died 21 Mar 1795)
	"Scientists tend to be skeptical, but the weakness of the community of science is that it tends to move into preformed establishment modes that say this is the only way of doing science, the only valid view." - Walter Gilbert, American molecular biologis (born 21 Mar 1932)

QUIZ
Before you look at today's web page, see if you can answer some of these questions about the events that happened on this day. Some of the names are very familiar. Others will likely stump you. Tickle your curiosity with these questions, then check your answers on today's web page.
Births
	David Keilin, born 21 Mar 1887, was a Russian-British biochemist who discovered certain enzymes he called cytochromes. Like haemoglobin, the cytochromes contain iron. Cytochrome is a pigment found in some cells, such as bacteria and yeast. *What function of the cell involves cytochromes?*
Deaths
	Patrick (Christopher) Steptoe (1913-1988) was a British scientist and medical researcher who, with Robert Edwards, perfected in-vitro fertilization of the human egg. Their technique made possible in the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first "test-tube baby." *In what decade was the world's first "test-tube baby" born?*
	Carl Koller (1857-1944) was Czech-born American ophthalmic surgeon whose introduction of a new surface anesthetic in eye surgery (1884) inaugurated the modern era of local anesthesia. He discovered this substance when he noticed it had a numbing effect on the tongue and, after experimenting with animals, he introduced it as a local anaesthetic in ophthalmology. It was also quickly adopted for nose and throat surgery and for dentistry. *What substance did Koller instroduce as a local anesthetic?*
Events
	On 21 Mar 1942, a secret report was submitted suggesting a name for a new artificial element. The paper was held secret until after WW II, when it was published by the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1948. The authors were Glenn Seaborg and Arthur C. Wahl. *What was the name the authors chose for the new element?*
	On 21 Mar of a certain year, Wolfgang Pauli published his "exclusion principle" in an article in Zeitschrift für Physik. Pauli introduced the idea that two nearby electrons cannot be in exactly the same state at the same time. For this, now fundamental, contribution to quantum mechanics, he was awarded a Nobel Prize. *In which decade of his life (age) did Pauli publish his "exclusion principle" ?*

Answers

When you have your answers ready to all the questions above, you'll find all the information to check them, and more, on the March 21 web page of Today in Science History. Or, try this link first for just the brief answers.

Fast answers for the previous newsletter for March 20: B.F. Skinner; dynamo model; Isaac Newton; George Westinghouse; a solar eclipse.

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