Distillations Blog
The Distillations Blog is the place for regular updates from the intersections of science, culture, and history.
About half of the 1,100 instruments hand-crafted by the famous Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari were lost or destroyed over the last 300 years. Should the instruments that remain be played or preserved?
A memento in CHF’s collections reveals how the demand for cheap copies of famous paintings helped democratize art ownership in the 19th century.
Philadelphia’s 2017 Geek of the Year on using virtual reality in resuscitation science research.
Many tragic accidents have provided unexpectedly valuable information for scientists.
Author Laurie Wallmark on Ada Lovelace.
Using oral history to write a historical narrative in an audio tour.
How conservators at the 9/11 Memorial Museum care for the artifacts of trauma.
Scientists with disabilities have frequently faced intolerance and prejudice in their careers. A new project at CHF’s Center for Oral History seeks to tell their stories.
In trying to separate fact from fiction, writer Natalie Jacewicz gets caught up in a century-old, pseudoscientific web of lies and false hope.
How science fiction has influenced the lives and work of many STEM professionals.
An interest in the pharmacological nature of food led Jessica Zinskie, a postdoctoral researcher at Rowan University, to study the genetics of yeast and the evolution of beer.
In the 1950s, a devious oil company created a television show to flatter industrialists and win their business.
Exploring the science behind decay through CHF’s new exhibition and Old City walking tour.
How tear gas made the transition from wartime weapon to domestic police tool.
Photos from the March for Science in Philadelphia, in which protesters sent a clear message to the Trump adminstration.
University of Delaware researchers are using inexpensive, low-tech solutions to help infants with movement disorders.
Reflecting on the inherent scientific nature of Miroslav Holub’s poetry, in honor of National Poetry Month.
Catch another whiff of our March podcast, as we ask people why they started using deodorant.
Dissatisfied with the limitations of the human body, some people are modifying themselves with electronic compasses and magnetic implants. But are they adding anything that the average smartphone can’t already do?