Paraspar, an initiative of the Office of Communications (OoC) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is a platform for conversations about knowledge systems, particularly science.
PARASPAR
Invites you to a lecture on
The discovery of Helium and distortions in the history of science
Abstract: It is well known that science, or our knowledge system in general, does not grow linearly. The history of science abounds in examples that demonstrate this point. A linear narrative tends to overlook the dead-ends, false starts and also ignore the contribution of people whose stories may not have been dramatic enough to fascinate historians or scientists. The story of the discovery of Helium provides one such example. It is also an important story because this discovery paved the way for the birth of astrophysics. Moreover, there is also an Indian connection. I will talk about the misconceptions that have plagued the way historians have remembered this story, and also why myths and distortions appear in the history of science.
Speaker: Biman B. Nath
Author
Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Raman Research Institute
Venue: Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP) Seminar Hall, IISc
Date: 30 October 2023 (Monday)
Time: 4.00 pm
Click here for the Poster
All are welcome
For any queries, please contact Bitasta Das (bitasta@iisc.ac.in), Office of Communications, Indian Institute of Science.
