SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " CIA " 30,950 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
ENTERTAINMENT: Pianist-composer joins ASO musicians for chamber concert; Monster Jam celebrates 35 years in February
From fine art and film to comedy and monster trucks, there's entertainment for everyone at these upcoming events.
WIDR FM student radio station hosts Spin-a-Thon
Western Michigan University students gathered at 89.1 WIDR FM, WMU’s student-run, noncommercial educational station, to share physical media live on-air during the station's second annual Spin-a-Thon event Sept. 29.
VB Health Launches Public Seven-Part Supplement Quality Standard
New company-wide standard, effective across the VB Health portfolio, establishes requirements for research, clinically relevant dosing, formula transparency, sourcing, U.S. manufacturing and every-batch testingDENVER, Oct. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VB Health, a Denver-based dietary supplement company co-founded by a U.S.-licensed physician, launched the VB Health Supplement Quality Standard today, a new public seven-part framework that establishes company-wide requirements for how its supplem
‘GTA 6’ Rated PEGI 18 For Decapitation, Sex Scenes And Cocaine
Grand Theft Auto always pushes the envelope when it comes to adult content, but GTA 6 is going an extra mile, according to its PEGI 18 rating.
Apple MacBook Pro Release Schedule: What To Expect When
Apple plans an M6 MacBook Pro for late October, holding its OLED redesign to 2027 to protect iPhone sales under new CEO John Ternus.
Many men with low testosterone are never diagnosed, and a men's health doctor says a missing lab test is often the reason
Sometimes men are treated for depression when low testosterone is the real cause. A men's health physician explains the signs, the tests, and what to do next.
Victoria Beckham: From Celebrity Brand To Luxury Business
Victoria Beckham's Paris Fashion Week show caps a turnaround year: a first operating profit of £7.3m, powered by beauty, leather goods and two new CEOs.
29 businesses honored at Bowling Green Chamber’s Targeted Business Awards, AKFA named Business of the Year
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated 29 businesses Thursday during its annual Targeted Business Awards, presented by Pinnacle Financial Partners, at the Knicely Conference Center.
Iran knows US 'is winning' as Operation Economic Outcast inflicts damage, Treasury official says
A top Treasury official told FOX Business that the "absolute isolation" campaign the Treasury is imposing on the Iranian regime has been "really effective."
‘A complicated map’: Henderson candidates push Boulder Highway updates
Henderson Councilwoman Carrie Cox and mayoral candidate Hollie Chadwick are sharing Boulder Highway construction and traffic updates on social media as the $184 million project continues.
New Redding barbershop welcomes the arts. Game lounge back in business
This week in the Buzz. Barbershop opens in former Sushi restaurant. Games and Brews reopens, and a commercial space in Shasta Lake sells in investors.
Daytona Beach businesses brace for unsanctioned truck event
The city is establishing a 24-hour special event zone from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday.
Polk County vaccination services at risk under regionalization plan
Polk County health officials painted a somber picture of services at stake while explaining plans by Iowa HHS to regionalize public health.
Aaron Sorkin says ‘money does not motivate’ Jesse Eisenberg: ‘It’s infuriating’
Aaron Sorkin says he spent three days trying to convince Jesse Eisenberg to return as Mark Zuckerberg for ‘The Social Reckoning,’ but none of his arguments, including a substantial salary, made an impact on the star.
Sanders helps open Arkansas Forest Health Research Center
MONTICELLO — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman and other state leaders helped the University of Arkansas at Monticello open the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center on Friday (Oct. 2). The center is located next to the Fine Arts Center at the school, which is home to the state’s only college of forestry. […]
Syracuse Football Fans Upset With Program's Social Media Post
Orange fans did not appreciate a Friday social media post by the team that seemed to target fans on Friday.
📸 This week's kit news 👕
Official announcements, leaks... it’s been another week full of news in the world of football kits.On the agenda: PSG’s likely next kit, as well as Liverpool’s surprising kits for next season.��...
This protective enzyme could help stop fatty liver disease from getting worse
Scientists have identified an enzyme that may act as a natural defense against the worsening of fatty liver disease, which affects an estimated 100 million Americans. The enzyme, called UBE2N, helps liver cells clear away damaged mitochondria and break down fat, potentially preventing the inflammation, scarring, and cell damage associated with the more dangerous condition MASH.
Israeli strike kills five in Gaza, including four women, health officials say
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawoud Abu AlkasCAIRO/GAZA, Oct 3 (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike killed at least five Palestinians, including four women, in an apartment building in Gaza City early on Saturday, health and civil defence service officials said.Among the dead were a Christian mother, Maisa Abu Dawoud, and her daughter Mary, medics and the church said.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.The strike destroyed the apartment building and started a fire.
Scientists just made a superconductor stronger using “empty space”
Researchers have demonstrated that quantum fluctuations in supposedly empty space can strengthen superconductivity, raising the transition temperature of an ultrathin material by as much as 5.4%. The discovery opens the possibility of using specially engineered vacuum environments to control quantum materials without direct contact or external driving.
How European Entrepreneurs Are Building U.S. Business Infrastructure Without Moving to America
ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / October 3, 2026 / For many European entrepreneurs, entering the U. market has traditionally been associated with establishing a physical presence, opening an office or eventually relocating to the United States.
OKC Thunder’s Big 3 Discuss Offseason Improvement
Oklahoma City Thunder training camp is officially underway and the fruits of every player's hard work over the summer will be on full display for all to see soon.
Just short of its 200th birthday, a landmark natural history museum shuts down
Beloved for its dinosaurs, Philadelphia's storied Academy of Natural Sciences closed down this week, amid an intense fight by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it.
Is An Undergraduate Business Degree Worth It? 5 Questions To Ask
How to choose an undergraduate business school: 5 questions about alumni outcomes, from job placement and salaries to debt and happiness, that reveal true ROI.
The Fall of Roe Changed Doctors. Now They’re Changing Politics.
State-level abortion debates have activated physicians as a political force like never before.
Let’s thank the politician who helped drive the Freedom Caucus out of power
I know it’s way too early for a Thanksgiving column. Halloween is still more than a month away.
Democrats dream of putting Florida back in play. Are they squandering their chance?
Democrats have struggled to compete in the state for years, but a surprisingly tight race for governor has their hopes up — despite a huge financial deficit.
Anthropic Is Aiming To Transform Healthcare—Here’s How
Anthropic is pushing Claude into prior authorization, medical records, drug discovery and global health. A physician explains what it means for doctors and patients.
Japan's impact on Mississippi takes center stage with 18,000 jobs
Mississippi leaders and Japanese officials discussed trade, jobs and the future of a key international partnership at Millsaps.
Top Rutgers Health officials shielded from NJ conflict of interest law
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a law exempting top Rutgers Health officials from revealing payments earned from its affiliate, RWJ Barnabas.
Can anything politicians say at Sunday’s election stop young people from leaving Bosnia?
They are the support base for non-nationalist parties but are voting with their feet and not on ballot papers
Twister, the Manteca politics version & an e-scooter accident
It is not always about “me.” And if you want to be an elected official or a public servant, it should never be about “me.”
Willi Orbán Helps Hungary Secure First Nations League Win
Milos Kerkez’s maiden international goal and a resolute defensive masterclass led by Willi Orbán silenced Georgia’s stars, revitalizing the Magyars’ promotion hopes with a crucial clean sheet.
Rockstar Officially Discusses GTA 6's Open-World Map of Vice City
Rockstar officially reveals one of the ways that GTA 6's open-world design works with Vice City and its story.
Why Texas politicians survive scandals
Voters know Texas politicians have skeletons, but why doesn't it change anything?
Brazil is regulating AI use in elections. Here’s why it’s been a challenge.
Brazil’s polarized political landscape is rife with disinformation – a challenge that can be turbocharged by artificial intelligence.
Could we ever create artificial gravity on a spaceship?
Microgravity poses severe health risks for astronauts. But could there be a solution?
Public Health Director Chris Crum honored by KHDA
GREENUP, Ky. — Greenup County Health Department recently announced that Public Health Director Chris Crum was selected as the recipient of the Kentucky Health Departments Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
Konami teases that Belmont's Curse won't be the end for Castlevania
Konami has been a bit quiet with Castlevania until recently, but the publisher has teased more to come for the franchise in the future. Castlevania stepped back into the spotlight with the special DLC made for Dead Cells back in 2023. Now in just a few days, we’ll be getting Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – the series’ first new, major release...
Aetna 2027 Medicare plans offer reliable, affordable access to care & member support
Learn about Aetna's 2027 Medicare offerings, featuring affordable coverage, $0 preventive care services, prescription drug benefits, Healthy Home Visits, Special Needs Plans and enhanced member support.
The most radical thing college can do is change your mind
"I am not leaving every discussion with a completely different set of beliefs. Instead, I am becoming more aware of why I hold the views I do, especially when someone gives me a reason to question them."
Gov. Gordon will visit Jackson for mental health workshop
Gov. Mark Gordon is coming to Jackson next week to host a mental health workshop for the Western Governors’ Association.
Aftershock fans bring big business to Sacramento as local businesses roll out special deals
Aftershock fans get special deals as Sacramento businesses welcome festival crowds
Wolff: “It’s difficult to cope” for Russell seeing Antonelli pace
The Bahrain GP in Malaysia represents a crucial moment in the Championship for Mercedes, who introduce a series of long-awaited upgrades to the W17. These updates are the first major aerodynamic changes for Mercedes in several months, who are finally responding to the developments from other teams - most notably McLaren. Despite the relative delay …
More younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer
Learn about the importance of early detection and risk assessment in breast cancer, as shared by Missy Bohan, director of the CAMC Breast Center. Find out why starting mammograms at age 40 is crucial and how the center provides support throughout the process.
Culture refocuses attention on the Palestinian cause: ‘It has always been central to political struggle’
Musicians’ tours, film festivals and literary forums keep the flame for Gaza alive and spark debates about the limits of free expression and the concepts of censorship and cancellation
South Korean official says Trump announcement on Alaska LNG went ‘far beyond what was agreed’
The governor and Republican incumbents in competitive U.S. Senate and House races said they expect South Korea to ultimately invest $54 billion. Some industry observers cast doubt on that prospect.
Enter the Video Crypt, an art installation that brings the video store back from the dead
2014 was the year Blockbuster officially closed the doors of its last corporate-owned location, marking the end of an era for many who frequented video stores.
ETX Politics: U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran talks AI guardrails, affordability and reelection bid
U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Tyler, who represents Texas’ 1st Congressional District, joins Blake Holland on this week’s edition of East Texas Politics on East Texas Now. Moran discusses artificial intelligence guardrails, shipbuilding, his bid for reelection and the issue of affordability.
Friday Football Fever: Week 5 scores and highlights
Week 5 of the Kansas high school football season is officially underway, and KSN has you covered with scores and highlights from the Wichita area and around the state.
Minnesota Wild Blame Cable Network for Failed Negotiations
The Minnesota Wild regular season has officially started but many cable and satellite customers still cannot watch games. Guess who the Wild are blaming...
Your AI Agents Can Write Code. Can They Understand Your Business?
AI agents need to understand how businesses work. Graphify’s rise shows why ontologies and knowledge graphs matter for the agentic enterprise and economy.
Jaguar Health Announces a Special Stock Dividend
Dividend intended to provide dilution protection to Jaguar shareholders as company continues evaluation of strategic alternativesSAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 2, 2026 / (NASDAQ:JAGX) ("Jaguar" or "the Company") today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a special stock dividend (the "Special Stock Dividend") to holders of Jaguar Common Stock and certain outstanding warrants as of record on October 13, 2026. The Special Stock Dividend will consist of the Company's Se
Barbour Community Health Association appoints new finance chief
Nathan Channell is the new chief financial officer of Barbour Community Health Association. His experience includes banking, accounting and financial reporting.
WINK News to host Medicare Help Center as 50,000 Lee Health patients face insurance changes
WINK Investigates is hosting a special event to help answer pressing questions from the community.
Strategic sovereignty, social movements, and political agency: Evidence from the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran
Military intervention may be undertaken to weaken a hostile regime and strengthen the position of its opponents. This column argues that evidence from the 2026 US-Israeli strikes on Iran points to a different outcome: the strikes left total protest levels broadly unchanged but sharply reoriented mobilisation away from anti-government protest and toward pro-government activity. The findings suggest that overt foreign intervention can make sovereignty politically valuable to incumbent governments by making domestic opposition easier to portray as aligned with an external adversary.
Connecting Medical Training to the Future of Care
Physician training doesn’t stop at the bedside. Residents also grow by teaching, leading and mentoring others. Sutter Health brought that approach to this year’s Latino Medical Student Association National Conference, where it served as a diamond-level sponsor. The event brought together medical students, pre-med students, residents and health care leaders from across the country. Now […]
Israeli strike kills four people in Gaza, medics say
An Israeli airstrike killed at least four Palestinians in an apartment building in Gaza City early on Saturday, the territory’s health officials said.
Lawmakers probe allegations that NC health officials used false information to secure Medicaid funds
GOP lawmakers in NC say they are looking into allegations that state health officials used false information to secure federal funding for a Medicaid technology overhaul. The claims were made in a lawsuit that has since been dismissed. The state auditor has revived an audit into the project.
Healthcare Has Normalized The Abnormal. Raj Panjabi’s New Book Explains Why.
A new book from former Biden official Raj Panjabi unpacks the notion of “normalcy bias.” It may help explain how we have come to accept our country’s underperforming healthcare system.
Small businesses use Kalshi to hedge financial risks
An expert weighs in on how businesses are using prediction-market contracts to hedge against financial risks.
State House candidates talk class size, vouchers, mental health in education forum
Candidates for three Tennessee House seats addressed voters at a candidate forum hosted by Clarksville Voices for Education this week.
Eugene Science Center celebrates World Space Week Oct. 4-10
Eugene Science Center is celebrating World Space Week with free events, discounts and special activities from Oct. 4-10.
Mass. health officials announce 12th human case of West Nile Virus
Officials say the person, a woman in her 60s, was likely exposed in Norfolk County.
Health officials alarmed by increased measles cases amid proposals to lower vaccine mandates in Florida
Health officials in Florida are ringing the alarm as confirmed measles cases continue to explode across the state.
Why Is CVS Health (CVS) Reworking Primary Care Around Value Based Care?
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) is expanding its primary care approach by integrating value-based care across its health system. The company intends to connect health plans, provider groups, clinics, and pharmacies under a single patient-centered care model. Management is targeting shared accountability for outcomes that include social determinants of health alongside traditional clinical metrics. This push to embed value-based care across CVS Health's operations reshapes how the group manages care,...
Potential measles exposure on a train in Minot | Health and Human Services North Dakota
BISMARCK, ND (Oct. 2, 2026) – A passenger with measles traveled on Amtrak's westbound Empire Builder, which departed Chicago on Sept. 23 and arrived in Minot the morning of Sept. 24. This created a potential exposure risk for passengers and anyone at the station while the train was scheduled to be in Minot from approximately 9:06 to 9:51 a.m. CT. The passenger reported getting off the train to use the restroom at the Minot station at approximately 9:30 a.m.Anyone who was at the Amtrak station in Minot while this train was stopped, as well as passengers who were traveling on this train, may have been exposed to measles. Individuals who may have been exposed and have received at least one dose of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine or previously had measles (likely those born before 1957) do not need to quarantine but should monitor for symptoms for 21 days after exposure. Individuals who have not received a dose of the MMR vaccine should quarantine (stay home) and monitor for symptoms for 21 days following exposure.
Health Officials urge caution after rabid Raccoon found in Nash County
Nash County health officials are warning residents to avoid wild animals after a raccoon found near Spring Hope tested positive for rabies.
‘A lack of respect’: Repeated vandalism, disruptions from teens frustrate Canonsburg business owners
LA County Extends East LA Small Business Grant Deadline
Los Angeles County officials announced Friday that the application deadline for a grant program assisting small businesses affected by the Lineage Fire and East Los Angeles Oil Spill has been extended by one week, to Oct. 9. The Small Business Recovery Grant provides up to $3,000 to eligible brick-and-mortar businesses and up to $1,000 to […]
STC: Preparing the Workforce of Tomorrow
What does the future of transportation mean for the Rio Grande Valley workforce? South Texas College President Ricardo Solis sees opportunities in logistics, international trade, and emerging technology. Through industry partnerships, STC is connecting workforce training with employers’ needs and preparing for electric trucks, automation, and artificial intelligence.
When to stream 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' for free
'Tis the season to tune into a "Peanuts" holiday special.
Data privacy lawsuit, subsidies for childcare staff: CT politics news
Plus: Schools get funding toward special ed and addressing attendance, while CT outpaces rest of New England in second quarter GDP growth.
Pharr International Bridge Expansion
More capacity for U.S.–Mexico trade. Pharr International Bridge Director Luis Bazan says phased truck operations for the bridge expansion are expected to begin in mid-September, with the official grand opening scheduled for November 12. The Pharr Truck Expo brought transportation professionals and the community together as the city prepares for this next chapter.
3 Biggest Questions Facing Phillies Entering Crucial Offseason
Here are the three biggest questions facing the Philadelphia Phillies entering a critical offseason.
Wayne State names UM official as first dean of new health college
Lisa Prosser is expected to fully stand up the new Wayne State University School of Public Health by the completion of her initial two-year term.
Trump heads back to Texas on Wednesday as GOP fights to keep state red
Texas, long a safe Republican state, has emerged as a top battleground in midterm races up and down the ballot — but especially in the U.S. Senate race.
Steelers frustrated by another Thursday night loss in Cleveland
To say the Steelers had a dejected locker room after their 27-24 loss to the Browns Thursday night was an absolute understatement.
S&P 500 Posts Slight Weekly Drop as Health Care, Financials Weigh
The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 0.3% this week amid a broad decline led by the health care a
On complex political issues, most Americans take shortcuts to simplicity
A core assumption in any democracy is that citizens with access to information will make reasoned decisions on political candidates and policy issues. But a new study by UC Berkeley social scientists ...
‘HomePad’ coming: Will Apple hold an October special event?
With Apple reportedly planning to unveil new products on October 13, here’s when the company could announce an event, based on the timing of its previous October announcements.
Caesars Entertainment, Inc. to Release 2026 Third Quarter Results on October 27, 2026
LAS VEGAS & RENO, Nev., October 02, 2026--Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) ("Caesars", "the Company") will release its financial results for the third quarter after the market closes on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Considering the Company’s pending merger with Fertitta Entertainment announced on May 28, 2026, Caesars will not host an earnings call. Upon completion of the proposed merger agreement, Caesars’ common stock will no longer be listed on NASDAQ, and the Company will become a priv
Delta Expo celebrates regional business, culture, entertainment
From live music and Delta food to shopping, stepping, books, and small-business showcases, Pine Bluff buzzed Sept. 25-26 as the first-of-its-kind Delta Expo brought businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and community members together at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Presented by the Pine Bluff Black Chamber of Commerce and visionary president and CEO Joni Alexander-Robinson, the two-day […]
Delta Expo celebrates regional business, culture, entertainment
From live music and Delta food to shopping, stepping, books, and small-business showcases, Pine Bluff buzzed Sept. 25-26 as the first-of-its-kind Delta Expo brought businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and community members together at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Presented by the Pine Bluff Black Chamber of Commerce and visionary president and CEO Joni Alexander-Robinson, the two-day […]
Fairport Harbor downtown businesses band together for community night out
The annual Witches Night Out event is back with more planned for this weekend, including an opportunity to check out a special "haunted" lighthouse tower, but beware of the ghost cat!
Richard Hightower on Sam Roush's struggles on Bears special teams
Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower reacted to rookie tight end Sam Roush's struggles on special teams this season.
Sunday Science talk to feature ‘Good Fats, Bad Fats’
“Good Fats, Bad Fats” is the title of the Central Colorado Humanists Sunday Science Program at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at A Church, 419 D St, led by Alicia McLeod.
During Science Month: ALMA Opens Its Doors to Celebrate 15 Years of Observing the Universe
Throughout October, Chile’s Science Month, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will open its doors to the community with two special public visits to its Operations Support Facility (OSF), near San Pedro de Atacama. The celebration also coincides with a special milestone: 15 years since ALMA’s first scientific observations, which marked the beginning of a...
Germany's political center fights for relevance after far-right and far-left gains
Centrist politicians are soul-searching after electoral gains by the far right and the far left. Today's weak coalitions, political fragmentation and dire economy echo a past that led to the rise of fascism.
2026 HFA European Congress Spotlights New Industry Research
Health & Fitness Association submitted comments to the Office of the US Trade Representative on two trade policy dockets that could have significant implications for exercise equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and fitness facility operators.
This week in health care policy: September 28 – October 2, 2026
Drug pricing CMS finalizes GLOBE pilot. On September 30, CMS finalized the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing model, a program that ties Part B drug rebates to prices paid in 19 countries. It will cover physician-administered drugs in randomly selected communities throughout the US, representing about 25 percent of Part B beneficiaries. It runs […]
164 slot machines seized in Sarasota County illegal gambling bust
The slot machines were taken from three locations in Englewood, officials say.
Mental health response teams now have night time hours, city officials say
Starting Monday, the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program will extend its hours of operation to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and add a second shift of evening staff.
Studying Science in an Anti-Scientific Time
This Chronicle Review Deep Cut was first published in 2025. By Julianne Werlin Thanks for reading The Chronicle Review! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe The last two decades have not been kind to science studies. Already bruised and battered by the “science wars” of the 1990s, by the 2000s sociologists of science — who had long argued that science had to be understood in its human context — were encountering the funhouse-mirror version of their own views in right-wing critiques of climate scientists. It was enough to give some prominent scholars pause. “Was I wrong to participate in the invention of this field known as science studies?” asked Bruno Latour, the most famous sociologist of science in the world, in 2003. “Should we apologize for having been wrong all along? Or should we rather bring the sword of criticism to criticism itself and do a bit of soul-searching here: What were we really after when we were so intent on showing the social construction of scientific facts?” In response, Latour proposed a change of method and attitude. Science studies, now chastened and contrite, would no longer seek to strip facts of their authority, but to enrich and enhance them. What this meant in practice was never fully clear. But his diagnosis of problems resonated, even if his solutions did not. Latour’s exercise in public hand-wringing signaled a shift in mood. By 2016, with the first election of Donald Trump, the idea that skepticism of science was a right-wing position, not a left-wing one, had become a commonplace, discussed eagerly in The New York Times. For liberals, vaccine denial during the Covid era and Trump’s second-term attacks on the funding of scientific research, covered extensively in these pages, added a new urgency to the defense of science on both practical and principled grounds. There was little appetite for a sociology or philosophy of science that emphasized the messiness and missteps of the scientific process rather than its integrity and triumphs. The distinguished historian of science Peter Dear’s new book, The World as We Know It: From Natural Philosophy to Modern Science (Princeton University Press, 2025), which seeks to tell the story of 18th- and 19th-century science for a general public, may seem comfortably remote from these bitter contests. In its 16 short chapters, Dear draws swift, sure sketches of major discoveries from Newton to Einstein, ably guiding the reader through debates on stellar nebulae, animal taxonomy, atomic chemistry, evolution, and other flashpoints in the history of science. But though a work of history, Dear’s book must still negotiate our polarized present. In a blurb on its back cover, the historian of biology Lynn K. Nyhart alludes to the “present moment, when scientific knowledge is being swamped by misinformation and its institutions are under siege.” Dear himself, in his conclusion, refers to the “yard signs” and “bumper stickers” that proclaim “Science Is Real.” One antidote to both anti-science propaganda and to reductive slogans in science’s defense is a robust history and philosophy of science: exactly what Dear’s scholarship has long offered. But his new book illustrates how difficult such work has become. Dear, an emeritus professor of history at Cornell University, is best known as a creative and philosophically minded historian of the Scientific Revolution. His edited volume The Literary Structure of Scientific Argument (1991) analyzed the rhetoric of Galileo’s thought experiments to brilliant effect. Discipline and Experience: The Mathematical Way in the Scientific Revolution (1995) was a major contribution to the analysis of scientific experiments in early modern Europe and beyond, while Revolutionizing the Sciences: European Knowledge in Transition, 1500-1700 (2001), now in its third edition, remains one of the best overviews of the profound epistemological upheavals of 16th- and 17th-century science. But Dear has also ventured into later periods. Nearly two decades ago, in The Intelligibility of Nature: How Science Makes Sense of the World (2006), he turned to the 18th and 19th centuries to sketch a history and theory of scientific knowledge. Aimed at a generalist audience, Dear’s simple prose belied serious philosophical ambitions. Science, Dear argued, has two aspects: “natural philosophy,” the quest to understand the true nature of the universe, and “instrumentality,” the applied skills and technologies that allow us to manipulate the world for human advantage. Both strands are ancient, but the innovation of the phenomenon we call “science” was to yoke them together. As Francis Bacon wrote, “Human knowledge and human power meet in one; for where the cause is not known, the effect cannot be produced,” an insight typically abridged to “knowledge is power.” Or, in Bertrand Russell’s characteristically blunt phrase, science has two functions, “1. to enable us to know things, and 2., to enable us to do things.” So far, so conventional. But Dear took issue with this familiar story in one respect. Bacon’s formula implied that theory and practice could be fused in a single method. In fact, Dear argued, the quest to understand nature and the desire to manipulate it were coupled only loosely. They could come together, but they could also pull apart. Focusing on natural philosophy, the “knowing” half of the scientific circle, he used a series of case studies from cosmology, taxonomy, chemistry, electromagnetism, and quantum theory to show how theories changed over time, in dialogue with practice, but never reducible to it. Take the case of matter, the basic substrate of the physical world. In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists not only disagreed about what it was, but also about how well it could be known. In 1789, the chemist Antoine Lavoisier dismissed speculation about the atomic composition of chemicals as “discussions entirely of a metaphysical nature,” as he sought to orient chemistry away from philosophical abstraction and toward laboratory results. But in the 19th century, atoms returned with a vengeance in the atomic chemistry of John Dalton, who wanted to explain the underlying structure of nature. It was not just that Dalton and Lavoisier had a different set of experimental results, or even a different theory, Dear showed. What counted as an explanation had changed. In arguing that scientific theories depended on their intelligibility to human beings with complex arrays of beliefs and commitments, Dear was in sympathy with science studies. Key figures such as the sociologist Steven Shapin emphasized the importance of psychological mechanisms like trust in the formation and acceptance of scientific ideas. But in focusing on the scientific pursuit of knowledge, not its politics or economics, Dear resisted the more cynical perspective of some of his colleagues. The Intelligibility of Nature strikes a very different note than Shapin’s collection of a few years later, Never Pure: Historical Studies of Science as If It Was Produced by People With Bodies, Situated in Time, Space, Culture, and Society, and Struggling for Credibility and Authority (2010), to name just one example. Walking a very fine line, Dear depicted science as driven at once by complex social dynamics and by the intellectual power of real discoveries. It was a testament not only to his own acumen but also to the vitality of the field that he was able to do so. Nearly two decades later, The World as We Know It returns to the questions broached in The Intelligibility of Nature. Like Dear’s earlier study, it begins with the Newtonian cosmos and ends with debates between Einstein and Bohr on quantum physics. Beyond its terminal figures, many of the same characters appear in both studies, including the naturalists John Ray and the Comte de Buffon; the chemists Étienne François Geoffroy, Antoine Lavoisier, and John Dalton; as well as Charles Darwin and Michael Faraday, among others. Its subject is nearly identical: As in The Intelligibility of Nature, The World as We Know It considers natural philosophy as opposed to instrumentality, here defined as the “desire to create a picture of what the world is really like — the world as God knows it — rather than simply having instrumental or operational control over it.” The two books also overlap in insights — and sometimes even in language. The reader who has learned in The Intelligibility of Nature that Buffon’s method of classifying animals “reflected his belief in the importance of the senses and empiricism in learning about nature (a doctrine associated with Newton and the philosopher John Locke)” will experience a sense of déjà vu on reading, in The World as We Know It, that the classification “reflects Buffon’s commitment to the epistemological stance of Newton and his philosophical underlaborer John Locke, who stressed the role of the senses in creating natural knowledge.” Later in the passage, we read that, “because of its stress on understanding the ways of life of animals in their environments, Buffon’s approach could almost be labeled (anachronistically) as ‘ecological.’” And again, “an anachronistic way of putting it would be to say that Buffon recommends an ecological mode of understanding.” Likewise, in The Intelligibility of Nature we read of Dalton that he was initially drawn to meteorology, and that: He did a bit of experimental work on these things, especially having to do with the water-holding capacity of gases, but his real interest lay in understanding what, at an underlying natural-philosophical level, was really going on physically.” Whereas, in The World as We Know It: He did experimental work on these things, especially concerning the water-holding capacity of gases — although not at a very refined level quantitatively — but he was continually trying to develop a theoretical conception of what was happening physically. The final full chapter of each book closes on the same resigned note. Intelligibility: These days, most serious work on the natural philosophical underpinnings and implications of quantum mechanics is performed not by physicists but by philosophers of science. Among scientific practitioners themselves, Bohr’s attempt to use instrumentality as sufficient grounds for a respectable science has met with a high degree of success. And again, in The World as We Know It: Bohr’s and Einstein’s concerns are now questions that are mostly discussed by philosophers of science rather than by physicists themselves. The marginalization of these sorts of questions amounts to the demise of natural philosophy, at least in physics, in the 20th century. Quantum mechanics “works,” and that’s good enough for most scientists who encounter it. Examples could be multiplied. When handling the same subject matter, some echoes are inevitable. Scholars should not feel that because they have written “Isaac Newton died in 1727” in one book, in the next they must describe him as perishing, expiring, or meeting his maker. But the repetitions of language and arguments (not to mention six reproduced images) threaded throughout The World as We Know It are more extensive than that. They should have been caught by Princeton University Press or its reviewers, and revised. Because the two books have so much in common, it is easy to see where they diverge. The World as We Know It is a less theoretical work than its predecessor. The sociology of knowledge that organized The Intelligibility of Nature has been reduced in scale and folded into readings and examples. The taut interplay between history and theory, which gave the earlier study so much interest, is there, but it is subtle. In the earlier book, the case studies demonstrated theoretical claims about the character and development of science. In the later work, each narrative of discovery is an end in itself. Insights emerge from the history, but they do not control the organization of the study. With the theory muted, it can be hard to understand the logic uniting Dear’s sprawling history of more than two centuries of scientific knowledge. The 16 brisk chapters cover an enormous amount of material. But the closer the volume edges to comprehensiveness, the more obvious the missing elements become. A chapter on “Institutions and Pedagogy,” describing the birth of the research university, illustrates the problem. Inserted roughly halfway through the book, the unnumbered chapter is designed as an “entr’acte,” in acknowledgement that it does not fit the study’s organization around scientific discoveries. Yet as Dear is well aware, no general history of the development of modern science can bracket its 19th-century institutionalization and professionalization. It was the 19th-century university, after all, that gave us the “scientist,” a term coined by the Cambridge philosopher William Whewell. Dear’s history of scientific discoveries implies a wider social and institutional history, but it remains largely subterranean, only occasionally extruded under the pressure of the narrative. It must be said that the balance is not all on the side of the earlier study. There are some advantages to the more historical, less theoretical organization of The World as We Know It. Dear’s accounts of paradigm shifts are remarkably lucid, no small accomplishment given that they span fields and centuries. He makes excellent use of the wealth of new scholarship on Darwin and his influences, to which he has himself contributed. It is satisfying to see puzzle pieces from Buffon’s natural history, Georges Cuvier’s animal taxonomy, Thomas Robert Malthus’s demography, and Charles Lyell’s geology recombined seamlessly in the Darwinian jigsaw. Likewise, Dear’s discussion of stellar nebulae, divided between chapters two and 15, shows vividly how Newton, Kant, Herschel, and Hubble reimagined insights and observations as they sought to discover whether the diffuse light that filtered through early telescopes was a glowing, gaseous substance or discrete but distant stars. Yet despite such pleasures, the book remains a more modest work than The Intelligibility of Nature. Dear has clearly not changed his views about the history of science. But in the two decades that have elapsed, the discipline and the world around it have changed, making it harder to write a sociologically and philosophically ambitious history of science for the general reader. That is a shame, because in the age of Silicon Valley and biotechnology, both the reciprocity and the tensions Dear identified between the epistemological and instrumental ambitions of science are more evident than ever. In recent years, some of the most exciting new books on the history of science in early modernity have focused precisely on this pressure point. Important studies such as Pamela H. Smith’s From Lived Experience to the Written Word (2022), James Poskett’s Horizons: The Global Origins of Modern Science (2022), and Vera Keller’s The Interlopers: Early Stuart Projects and the Undisciplining of Knowledge (2023) all shed new light on how early modern science negotiated the relationship between its instrumental and epistemological ambitions, or in Russell’s phrase, knowing and doing. There is every opportunity for a philosophically informed approach to draw new insights from this wealth of material. Dear, unfortunately, has not done so in The World as We Know It. But for future scholars of the history of science, his body of work over nearly four decades may provide just the model. Julianne Werlin is an associate professor of English at Duke University. Thanks for reading The Chronicle Review! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
NC election experts warn about voter trust as AI makes political misinformation easier to create
Artificial intelligence is making it easier to create realistic political images, videos and audio, leaving voters with a new question as they head toward the midterm elections: How do they know what they are seeing is real?