Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: How Volcanic Activity Fit Into Systems of Earth [Pdf]
Article explaining the history of our scientific understanding of volcanic activity, ending with questions for students about scientific methods and historical contexts.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Just How Old Is Earth? [Pdf]
Article describing efforts in the 19th and 20th centuries to determine the Earth's age, particularly using naturally occurring radioactivity. It notes that scientific disciplines frequently overlap in the work they do. Questions are...
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Understanding Earth's Age [Pdf]
Article describing early efforts, beginning with Aristotle, to determine the Earth's age, and the influence of current culture on the acceptability of new and radical scientific theories. Questions are posed throughout about the nature...
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Development of a Mechanism for Continental Drift [Pdf]
Article describing the history of scientific theories about continental drift, and the major researchers involved in this work.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Ice Ages, an Alien Idea [Pdf]
Article describing the scientific evolution of theories about the ice ages and glaciation. The international efforts of scientists are noted, as well as the influence of societal mores on how long it would generally take for new ideas to...
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion, Time, and Shape of Earth [Pdf]
Article outlining the scientific history behind the evolution of theories about measuring time based on the movement of a pendulum, and about how gravity would impact a pendulum's movement depending on one's proximity to the Earth's...
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Detection of Black Holes [Pdf]
Article outlining the scientific history behind the discovery of black holes. The writer discusses how scientific theories guide scientists in creating explanations for natural phenomena.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Story of Cosmic Microwave Background [Pdf]
Article describing the history of the scientific research that led to the discovery of cosmic background radiation, which, according to the Big Bang Theory, is linked to the origin of the universe.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: The Discovery of Neptune [Pdf]
The scientific history behind the discovery of the planet Neptune.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: The Story of Dark Matter [Pdf]
The scientific history behind the discovery of dark matter. Questions are posed throughout about how theories are developed to provide possible explanations of natural phenomena.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Just How Big Is the Universe? [Pdf]
Explains the history of the scientific debate and research on the topic of the size of the universe. The writer discusses the relevance of debate in the evolution of scientific theories.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Development of the Periodic Table [Pdf]
Article describing the history of the development of the periodic table of elements, particularly the work of Dmitrii Ivanovich Mendeleev.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Charles Darwin [Pdf]
A detailed biography of Charles Darwin highlighting the events that shaped him as a scientist. Questions are posed throughout about the nature of scientific research.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Alfred Russel Wallace [Pdf]
A detailed biography of Alfred Russel Wallace, known especially for his theoretical work on evolution, which was published prior to Charles Darwin's own theory. Questions are posed throughout about the nature of scientific research.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: The Work of Gregor Mendel [Pdf]
A detailed biography of Gregor Johann Mendel, famous for his foundational work in the field of genetics. Questions are posed throughout about the nature of scientific research.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Search for Life's Origins [Pdf]
Article describing research done by scientists in their quest to understand the origins of life. Questions are posed throughout about the nature of scientific research.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Piecing Together the Structure of Dna [Pdf]
Outlines the history of the scientific efforts that went into the discovery and mapping of the structure of DNA, spanning one hundred forty years.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Pendulum Motion [Pdf]
The history of the pendulum and its importance both in timekeeping, and in how timekeeping was used to solve other problems, such as determining longitude on a map.
Story Behind the Science
Story Behind the Science: Realization of Global Warming [Pdf]
Article describing the history of how scientists developed their current understanding of global warming. It discusses why it is difficult for some people to accept that human beings have caused the Earth to warm, without controlled...