In the late 10th, early 11th century two great men debated the causes of natural phenomena.  One of them was the greatest philosopher of the age, Ibn Sina, who had refined Aristotle's philosophy into a finely honed system.  The other, al-Biruni,  was perhaps the greatest polymath of the age, who invented new fields of study and whose devotion to observation was unparalleled.  In a series of letters the two men clashed over large cosmological questions and everyday phenomena and their exchange stands as one the most important intellectual debates of the age.   Contact ..read more

While al-Haytham's visual theory was a clear triumph, his work also had a more subtle but profound effect.  His treatment of light as a quanitity which was related to but independent of vision was an important step on the path to our modern understanding of optics.  In this episode we explore the other parts of his 'Book of Optics' as well as the achievement of his forgotten contemporary Ibn Sahl. Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Twitter: @complete_sci Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ..read more

Tracing the emergence of medicine in the Islamic world and its embrace of Galen, this week's episode explores the progress made in treatments and anatomy by Islamic scientists.   Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Twitter: @complete_sci Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ..read more

The Greek Philosophers had long debated the nature of vision, without any definitive conclusion.  They were divided, between the belief that it was either a stimulus entering the eye or a visual ray projected from the eye.  This debate however, was finally settled by the great Hasan Ibn Al-Haytham, who developed the first modern theory of vision.  In this episode we explore Al-Haytham's optical work as one of the first great experimentalists who investigated the nature of light and his development of a new theory of perspective.   Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail ..read more

Astronomy was king of the sciences in the ancient world, but since the death of Ptolemy progress had all but stalled.  Fortunately astronomy was rediscovered by the Arabs, who undertook a huge translation of Greek work into Arabic.  This next generation of astronomers venerated Ptolemy but also surpassed him, improving upon his measurements and theories.  This episode examines this rediscovery and follows the broad developments in the Islamic world between the 9th and 11th century. Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech ..read more

After the death of Ptolemy and Galen the progress of science in the ancient world started to slow.  Roughly between the years 200-800 A.D. very little advances were made in most areas of science and there would be no successors to the great men.  Nevertheless the period was one of immense change including the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West and the rise of Christianity.      However, there was at least one important figure in the history of science during this era.  John Philoponus (c. 490 – c. 570) gave the most robust and important critique of Aristotle ..read more

Galen was the greatest medical man in the ancient world.  His fame rested upon his abilities as a healer, but also his unparalleled knowledge of the human body.  This episode explores Galen's time in Rome where he demonstrated his impressive knowledge of anatomy which was unsurpassed in antiquity.  We also investigate Galen's predeccessors Aristotle, Praxagoras, Herophilus and Erasistratus who between them invented the fields of anatomy and physiology. Email: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com  Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Music Credit: Folk Round Kevi ..read more

In the 5th century B.C. a new form of medicine emerged in the ancient world.  This new 'Hippocratic' medicine emerged to sweep away traditional medicine, at least in learned circles, and would become the basis for the more scientific medicine which would develop in the future.  Along the way we will also explore the work of Galen, the greatest doctor of antiquity, and discover how his influence would ensure the triumph of Hippocratic medicine. Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By At ..read more

Medicine is the most urgent of all the sciences and for as long as there have been disease, injury and death, humans have attempted to treat it.  In this episode we delve into the very early history of medince, going back to the Neolithic Era, before exploring medicne in the worlds first civilisations.   Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ..read more

Many Greek scientific fields were born out of simple questions.  Optics was one such field, which was not so much the study of light, but an attempt to answer the question, "How do we see?".  This episode takes in the development of Optics over the course of around 500 years from its inception to the work of Ptolemy in the 2nd century A.D.   Contact: thecompletehistoryofscience@gmail.com Music Credit: Folk Round Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License ..read more