This book, published in 1844, presents a cosmic theory of transmutation, now known as evolution, explaining the development of the solar system, Earth, and life forms through natural law. It starts with the nebular hypothesis for the solar system's formation and proceeds through the origins of life, geology, and the progression of fossils from simple to complex organisms, culminating in human evolution. The book was highly controversial in its time, contradicting Victorian natural theology and preparing the public for later scientific theories of evolution by natural selection, such as those in Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species'.
Ptolemy's 'Geography' is a seminal work that includes a treatise on cartography, a gazetteer with longitude and latitude coordinates for approximately 8,000 locations, and instructions for creating maps of the known world. The work is divided into eight books, covering methods of cartography, a gazetteer of the world known to the ancient Romans, and detailed instructions for map projections. Ptolemy's innovations included the use of a grid system to plot latitude and longitude and the development of map projections that anticipated later cartographic techniques. Despite some inaccuracies, such as miscalculating the Earth's size, the work was highly influential in both the Islamic world and Renaissance Europe[1][2][5].
Euclid's Elements is a comprehensive mathematical treatise that presents definitions, postulates, propositions, and mathematical proofs. It is a compilation of earlier Greek mathematicians' works, including those of Pythagoras, Hippocrates of Chios, Theaetetus, and Eudoxus. The work is renowned for its logical and systematic presentation, starting from a small set of axioms and developing deep mathematical results. It has been a cornerstone of mathematics for over two thousand years and remains influential in modern geometry[3][4][5].
Published on November 24, 1859, 'On the Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin is a seminal work in scientific literature. The book presents a comprehensive theory of evolution, arguing that species evolve over generations through the process of natural selection. Darwin supported his theory with evidence collected during his voyage on the HMS Beagle, as well as from subsequent research, correspondence, and experimentation. The book addresses the struggle for existence, the variability of species, and the principle of divergence, explaining how natural selection leads to the adaptation and diversification of life on Earth. It has been a cornerstone of evolutionary biology and has had significant impacts on both scientific and public discourse[2][4][5].
The Iliad is an epic poem attributed to Homer, set during the Trojan War. It begins in the ninth year of the war, where a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles sets off a chain of events. The poem explores themes of heroism, honor, and fate as it describes the battles and interactions between Greek warriors like Achilles, Diomedes, and Odysseus, and Trojan warriors like Hector and Paris. The story is interspersed with divine interventions from Greek gods and goddesses, influencing the outcome of the war. The poem culminates with Achilles' reconciliation with Agamemnon and his subsequent rage against the Trojans, leading to the death of Hector and the eventual funeral rites for Patroclus and Hector[1][3][5].
Stephen Wolfram answers questions from his viewers about the history of science and technology as part of an unscripted livestream series, also available on YouTube here: https://wolfr.am/youtube-sw-qa
Questions include: What is a very interesting "big picture" discovery in your minimal model for biological evolution that answers questions about Darwin's natural selection? How does it change the narrative? - So the most successful organism is you and me, because we have the potential to organize/find solutions for this überabzählbar unendliche chaos, and for that we get rewarded, according to Blaise Pascal's wager. - Who created the first map? - Do you find morphological attractors in your simple models of biological evolution? There is evidence that morphospace might be like a hyporuliad, according to work by Prof. Michael Levin with planaria. - Are LLMs disconnected from humans in the ruliad? - LLMs' view of reality is mostly language and texts, right? - My experience with art makes me guess illusions tend to be more of a lower/hardware level, since they aren't much subject to qualia. - Do you think it's possible Egyptians had a basic light bulb (Dendera light bulb)? - Were there prominent researchers in ancient civilizations who often referred to "things of the past," or were they mainly working based off of new ideas and hypotheses? - How much of ancient myth reflects technology, like Hephaestus making a giant rock-throwing android? - There's a hieroglyph that looks like a snake inside a light bulb.
The Stephen Wolfram Podcast 
