Rousseau on Science Education: The Delusion of Radical Independence How is one to teach science? The conventional method is that a teacher sets out the received view on a certain topic and hopes that their students will somehow assimilate this view. An obvious draw…

As a philosopher and writer, Jean-Jacques Rousseau needs no introduction. But what did he think about science education? This week, Henk van den Belt discusses Rousseau's visions on educating children about science. Read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/03/30/r...

Understanding the Nature of Scientific Discovery through Stories about the Chemical Elements Header image: one version of the “Periodic Table of Flags”. Reproduced by kind permission from Jamie Gallagher. Discovery histories fascinate. They are filled with “bravery, ingenuity, and insurmou…

Scientific discoveries are often presented as miraculous events, but are they? Annette Lykknes shows us the need for historical research in tales of scientific discovery, using examples from chemistry. Read it here: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/03/17/u...

A Genealogy of Freudenthal’s Lincos, Part II: Intuitionistic Footprints Amongst the Stars Header image: Portrait of H. Freudenthal, 1957. Sourced from Utrecht Archives. This article is the second part of a two-part series (the first one is to be found here), aim…

What does the philosophy of intuitionism have to do with a language for aliens? Daniele Sansoni explains it to us! This week, we have the second part of our series about Hans Freudenthal and the development of LINCOS. Read it here: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/03/02/a...

Het kernwapen: geheime wetenschap en verborgen technologie Afbeelding: Los Alamos, de stad die officieel niet bestond. Als centrum van ontwerp en eindassemblage van de eerste atoombommen was Los Alamos volledig geïsoleerd van de rest van New Mexico (Foto: …

The project that gave us the atomic bomb was surrounded by secrecy. Yet, how can something as big as an atomic bomb be secret? In this week's post, Ton van Helvoort discusses the paradox of secret science. Read it here www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/02/16/h...

On Trying: An Interview with Peter Galison Peter Galison: I’m Peter Galison. I am a professor at Harvard University, where I’ve been for quite a while, and before that I taught at Stanford for about ten years. I grew up in New Y…

Why is trying important? How does one move from art to science and back? Our very own Maura Cassidy Burke interviewed Peter Galison about black holes, objectivity, and more! Read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/02/02/o...

A Genealogy of Freudenthal’s Lincos, Part I: Looking up from the ruins of Babel This article is the first part of a two-part series, aiming to provide a short introduction to the intellectual history and genealogy of Hans Freudenthal’s Lingua Cosmica. This first part aim…

Why did the mathematician Hans Freudenthal write a language to communicate with extraterrestrials? What is the historical background of this theoretical language? This week's post by Lorenzo De Piccoli is part of an in-depth study into Freudenthal's Lincos: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/01/19/a...

Curating for the Curious: An interview with Prof. Manon Parry Dr. Manon S. Parry is Professor of Medical and Nursing History at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (VU), and Associate Professor of American Studies and Public History at the University of Amsterd…

How do you curate medical exhibitions? Which concerns arise when displaying human remains? Our own Bianca Angelien Claveria interviewed Manon Parry about the curation of medical exhibitions and her current book. Read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2026/01/05/c...

Living Pasts: Exploring Futures An innovative course connecting students to history, and history to the world of endless possibilities. The first thing students learn in the Living Pasts: Exploring Futures course is nothing will …

What happens when you take a course without a clear schedule, guided by personal learning goals? Anouk van Wijhe, David Skogerboe, Thomas Wind, and Toine Pieters show how the Living Pasts: Exploring Futures course at Utrecht University works. Read it here: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/12/15/l...

Verslag najaars-bijeenkomst Gewina 2025 Anonieme kennis in de premoderne periode. Anonieme kennis zorgt voor heel wat uitdagingen binnen het historisch onderzoek. Dit gaat van praktische problemen, zoals het opslaan van de informatie in …

Dealing with historical sources can be challenging enough, but what happens when you are dealing with anonymous historical sources? Last month, the Gewina Najaarsdag centred around questions of anonymity. Read the report by Heike Bekaert on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/12/10/v...

Het kosmische perspectief: honderd jaar extragalactische sterrenkunde Afbeelding: ESO/Juan Carlos Muñoz. We zijn eraan gewend geraakt om velerlei fraaie en fascinerende plaatjes van hemelobjecten langs te zien komen in kranten en tijdschriften, op televisie en intern…

This year marks the 100th anniversary of extragalactic astronomy! To celebrate, Evert Meurs wrote a post for Shells and Pebbles about the beautiful astronomical images that are now visible everywhere. As always, read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/11/28/h...

Education for a green future? A plea for historical perspectives in sustainability education I am not a historian. Yet, as a sustainability education researcher, I know how important a historical perspective can be when dealing with sustainability issues. In this text, I show some of the c…

Why are historical competencies so important for sustainability education? How do Jules Verne and the Wadden Sea show this? In this week's post, Michiel van Harskamp shows us the importance of historical knowledge in sustainability education. Read it here! www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/11/03/e...

The Discovery of Fission and Katharine Way, “Dear to the Community of Nuclear Physicists” Tell me where all times past are. – John Donne1 1. Introduction: a missed epoch-making discovery? As the century that saw the dawn of the nuclear age was drawing to a close, John A. Wheeler (…

Who was Katharine Way, and how was she involved with John A. Wheeler and nuclear physics? In today's post, Stefano Furlan tells us about an unknown nuclear physicist with a large impact on others. Read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/10/22/t...

A Chat with ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been increasingly present in columns of magazines and newspapers, in posts shared thousands of times on social media, and in the preoccupied voices of politicians, …

What happens when you ask ChatGPT questions about homosexuality? What does this tell us about biases in AI? Read all about it today on the blogpost by Paola Altomonte: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/09/23/a...

Mapalad: Fieldwork Notes from Culion “Godzilla vs. Kong. Why was this movie chosen to entertain the ferry passengers? Was the movie a personal favorite, or was it the only movie available?” I asked myself, as I craned my neck and shif…

Happy September!
The best way to start the school year is, of course, by reading a Shells & Pebbles post. This week, our very own Bianca Angelien Claveria takes us with her on her research trip! What does the "world's largest leper colony" look like? www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/09/08/m...

Looking for some fun and short reads for over the holiday? Why not follow @shellsandpebbles.bsky.social on Bluesky, our long-running blog on interesting finds in the history of science!

Shells and Pebbles Summer Travel Tips “It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition.” – Henry James As this academic year comes to a close, our team of editors wanted to cultivate a tradition started last…

Whether you are going to São Paulo, New York, Manila, or Utrecht for the holidays, Shells and Pebbles has you covered! We have some wonderful destinations for you in our Staff Summer Travel Tips. Read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/06/23/s...

‘Knowledge gathered in a colonial context is transferred to students without regard to its history’ Elian Schure is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University (UU). She is currently working on her research on human categorization in biological research. During her master’s degree in History and Philos…

What do you discover when studying the colonial past of your faculty? Yavanne van Tiggelen interviewed Elian Schure about her experiences researching Utrecht University's Faculty of Science. Read all about it on the blog in English or Dutch: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/06/09/k...

Is writing context-laden intellectual histories possible? This essay compares two relatively recent works of intellectual history centred on the 18th century, both with an ambitious scope, and both written by established historians of science and medicine…

And today, you can immediately enjoy our newest post on intellectual histories! Chiara Lacroix shows us the challenges of context by comparing two intellectual histories. Go read it on the blog: www.shellsandpebbles.com/2025/05/26/i...

Welcome to the new Shells and Pebbles Bluesky!
A special shout-out to the two people who guessed the song in the newsletter correctly and with only one minute between them: Abel Streefland and Rob van Gent! Congratulations!