November 15, 2021

Detail of Three-Dimensional Anatomical Diagram of Human Head, final illustration in a series of hinged, paper flap overlays, from The Book of Health, 1885. 📷 Science History Institute

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and Epilepsy Awareness Month, and we’ve got the brain on the brain. You can listen to our What Causes Alzheimer’s? podcast, discover the “cure” for epilepsy in our digital collections, or read an article about schizophrenia. We’re also spotlighting the developers of Prozac and taking a unique look inside the human head (above). Since everyone—especially our staff—can use a mental health break, our museum will be closed November 25–27 for the Thanksgiving holiday; we’ll resume our regular hours on Thursday, December 2. Until then, you can put the benevolence part of your brain to good use by supporting our mission with a donation on GivingTuesday, which takes place November 30.

Programs & Events

T. T. Chao Symposium on Innovation

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 2:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. CST 3:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. EST

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Join us tomorrow for this year’s virtual T. T. Chao Symposium on Innovation, which features four presentations and a Q&A session focused around the “Innovations in Sustainable Chemistry” theme. Speakers include Westlake Chemical president and CEO Albert Y. Chao and Institute president and CEO David Cole, who moderate the panel.

Family Swim at the Museum

Saturday, November 20, 2021 Saturday, December 18, 2021 11:00 a.m. EST

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Dive into a day of family-friendly, water-related activities! Family Swim takes place once a month on Saturdays through February 2022. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.

Collections Deep Dive

Friday, December 3, 2021 2:00 p.m. EST

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Take a deep dive into our museum with our Gallery Guides, who will lead visitors through an interactive water journey using objects from our handling collection. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.

Science and Activism Guided Museum Tours

Saturday, December 11, 2021 Saturday, January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m. EST

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Our Science and Activism “drop-in” tours explore the vital impacts made by engaged communities on scientific discovery, environmental justice, and public health. Guided Tours take place twice a month on Saturdays (excluding holidays) through February 2022. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.

Distillations

Side view of the brain of a subject with mental deficiency. 📷 Wellcome Collection

Real-Life Zombies What a bizarre psychological disorder can teach us about memory, human nature, and our sense of who we are. Listen to the podcast >>

What Causes Alzheimer’s? Vox’s Unexplainable podcast interviews Distillations about how Alzheimer’s research has stubbornly focused on a single theory for decades. Listen to the podcast >>

The Alzheimer’s Copernicus Problem Thirty years of research have failed to solve the Alzheimer’s riddle. Is the problem a blind embrace of scientific dogma? Listen to the podcast >>

Searching for Schizophrenia In the late 1960s an international contingent of psychiatrists took up a monumental task: making schizophrenia mean the same thing to doctors around the world. Read the article >>

Wayne Woolley’s Marvelously Equipped Mind What drove a blind biochemist to experiment with LSD? Read the article >>

Selections from Our Digital Collections

Beckman EEG Modules, electroencephalograph modules developed for NASA to monitor and record the brain activity of astronauts, 1965. 📷 Science History Institute

A No-Brainer Obviously you should explore our digital collections, which include some thought-provoking items related to the brain: Liber De Secretis Naturae Seu De Quinta Essentia [The Book of the Secrets of Nature or of the Quintessence], alchemical manuscript describing the process of producing aqua vitae (“water of life”) to prevent premature aging, 1498 Oral History Interview with Rudolph E. Tanzi, interview with the noted Harvard neurology professor and Alzheimer's disease researcher, 1998 Nostrums and Quackery, collection of pseudo-scientific articles compiled by the Journal of the American Medical Association that includes cures for epilepsy, drug addiction, and other conditions, 1911 Postcard from Svante Arrhenius to Georg Bredig, thank you note to the German Jewish scientist from the Nobel laureate, who describes how his 65th birthday celebration allowed him to forget the “unpleasantness of aging,” 1924 Notes from Chemistry Lectures at Oxford Female College, notes from lectures encompassing a range of topics in chemistry, physiology, and mental philosophy, 1862–1864 Unidentified Woman Using a Beckman Model TC Electroencephalograph, undated photograph of an EEG machine used to monitor and record electrical activity of the brain

Scientist Spotlight

Left to right: David Wong, Ray Fuller, and Bryan Molloy. 📷 © Eli Lilly and Company

Ray Fuller, David Wong, and Bryan Molloy In 1988 the pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company introduced Prozac, a new type of antidepressant that was safer and more effective than those of previous eras. The development of this groundbreaking drug was undertaken by three Eli Lilly researchers: Ray W. Fuller (1935–1996), David T. Wong (b. 1935), and Bryan B. Molloy (1939–2004).   Read Fuller, Wong, and Molloy’s biography >>

Support Our Mission

Now more than ever it’s important to tell the stories of science. Help us continue this work by supporting the Science History Institute. Give now >> You can also support the Institute while shopping on Amazon at smile.amazon.com or by asking Alexa to donate to the Science History Institute.

Stay Connected

Explore sciencehistory.org/learn and discover the stories of science. Resources and activities include digital exhibitions, role-playing games for students, and Distillations articles, podcasts, and videos. You can also visit our museum, library, and conference center online or in person. Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact us at enews@sciencehistory.org.

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