After the global revolution and prior to the great destruction much of the internet was preserved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Sounds and visions from planet Earth were cherished on long excursions aboard Laurasia. Especially as a sleep aid, but also for entertainment. This - is Thin Lizzy.
Museum
Selections of art taken from Chris Lehrer's Lyceum under the heading: Window to the Past.
Listen to Soma FM streaming radio, a favorite of the space station Laurasia since the global revolution. You may or may not have to download the free Winamp or Real audio player.
To know the world is to master its secrets. - Scientific maxim, c. 1600 CE (adapted from early modern writings)
From 3000 BCE to 2025 CE, science has driven humanity’s understanding of the universe, transforming societies through discovery. Babylonian astronomers (1800 BCE) mapped stars, laying foundations for mathematics. Greek philosophers like Aristotle (4th century BCE) systematized observation, while medieval scholars preserved knowledge. The Scientific Revolution (1543–1687 CE) birthed modern methods, with Newton’s laws shaping physics. Industrial-era chemistry and 20th-century genetics, like DNA’s discovery (1953 CE), revolutionized life. By 2025, AI and quantum computing advanced research, with $500 billion in global science funding. Archaeological finds, like Antikythera’s mechanism and CERN’s accelerators, reflect progress. Secular inquiry and religious cosmologies, like Islamic astronomy, coexisted, shaping worldviews. This scientific arc, balancing reason and wonder, forged a dynamic world, navigating truth and ethical challenges toward a deeper understanding.
Pursuit of Truth
Science reshaped societies through discovery and reason.
Pillars of Science
Babylonian astronomy (C. 1800 BCE).
Greek philosophy (C. 4th century BCE).
Scientific Revolution (C. 1543 CE).
DNA discovery (1953 CE).
AI and quantum computing (C. 2025 CE).
Global science funding ($500 billion).
Enduring Quest
Science’s arc drives human progress and understanding.
From 3000 BCE–500 CE, ancient societies laid science’s foundations. Babylonian astronomers (1800 BCE) used clay tablets to record planetary motions, developing early algebra, as seen in Ur’s artifacts. Egyptian geometry (2500 BCE) enabled pyramid construction, with roughly 2 million stone blocks aligned precisely. Greek philosophers like Thales (6th century BCE) and Aristotle (4th century BCE) pioneered observation, categorizing nature, as in Historia Animalium. Indian mathematicians (500 CE) introduced zero, per Brahmagupta’s texts. Trade spread knowledge, with $50 million in goods along early routes. Polytheistic beliefs, like Egyptian star worship, merged with inquiry. Archaeological finds, like the Antikythera mechanism (100 BCE), show mechanical sophistication. Ancient science blended observation and myth, fostering early discoveries that shaped mathematics, astronomy, and engineering, despite limited tools, setting the stage for medieval advances.
Early Discoveries
Ancient science built foundations for mathematics and astronomy.
Ancient Milestones
Babylonian astronomy (C. 1800 BCE).
Egyptian geometry (C. 2500 BCE).
Greek observation (C. 4th century BCE).
Indian zero (C. 500 CE).
Antikythera mechanism (C. 100 BCE).
Early trade in knowledge.
Archaeological Evidence
Ur’s tablets and Antikythera show early science.
Lasting Impact
Ancient discoveries shaped scientific thought.
From 500–1500 CE, medieval scholars preserved and expanded science. Islamic astronomers, like Al-Battani (900 CE), refined Ptolemy’s models, calculating Earth’s tilt, as seen in Baghdad’s observatories. Chinese alchemists (800 CE) advanced chemistry, documenting gunpowder, per Song texts. European monasteries copied Greek and Roman works, with about 10,000 manuscripts preserved by 1000 CE. Trade along the Silk Road, worth $1 billion, spread Indian mathematics, like algebra. Islamic and Christian cosmologies shaped inquiry, as in Aquinas’ writings (1250 CE). Archaeological finds, like Andalusian astrolabes, show precision tools. Medieval science bridged ancient and modern eras, blending faith and reason, with scholars like Ibn Sina (C. 1000 CE) advancing medicine, influencing global knowledge despite religious constraints and regional conflicts.
Knowledge Preservation
Medieval scholars connected ancient and modern science.
Medieval Milestones
Al-Battani’s astronomy (C. 900 CE).
Chinese gunpowder (C. 800 CE).
Monastic manuscripts (C. 10,000).
Silk Road knowledge exchange.
Ibn Sina’s medicine (C. 1000 CE).
Astrolabe development.
Archaeological Insights
Astrolabes and manuscripts show medieval science.
Lasting Legacy
Medieval science bridged eras of discovery.
The Scientific Revolution (1500–1700 CE) transformed knowledge with empirical methods. Copernicus’ heliocentric model (1543 CE) challenged geocentric views, as published in De Revolutionibus. Galileo’s telescope (1609 CE) confirmed planetary orbits, while Newton’s Principia (1687 CE) defined gravity, influencing 1 million printed books by 1700. Trade with Asia brought instruments, like compasses, worth $100 million. Secular inquiry grew, though Christian resistance, as in Galileo’s trial, persisted. Archaeological finds, like Leiden’s observatories, show experimental growth. Bacon’s scientific method (1620 CE) standardized research, driving discoveries in optics and anatomy. The revolution reshaped science, fostering global collaboration and technological advances, despite conflicts with religious authorities, laying foundations for industrial-era breakthroughs and modern understanding.
Empirical Dawn
The Scientific Revolution redefined knowledge through observation.
From 1700–2000 CE, science fueled industrial and modern progress. Lavoisier’s chemistry (1770 CE) defined elements, enabling 10 million tons of steel production by 1900. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859 CE) introduced evolution, reshaping biology. Einstein’s relativity (1905 CE) revolutionized physics, while the Manhattan Project (1945 CE) developed atomic energy, with 100,000 workers. Trade in scientific tools, worth $500 billion by 2000, spread knowledge. Secular science dominated, though religious ethics, like Christian bioethics, shaped debates. Archaeological finds, like Los Alamos labs, show technological scale. Discoveries like penicillin (1928 CE) extended life expectancy to about 70 years. Science drove innovation, transforming industries and societies, despite ethical and destructive challenges, setting the stage for digital-era breakthroughs.
Scientific Expansion
Industrial science transformed technology and society.
Modern Milestones
Lavoisier’s chemistry (C. 1770 CE).
Darwin’s evolution (C. 1859 CE).
Einstein’s relativity (C. 1905 CE).
Penicillin discovery (1928 CE).
Atomic energy (1945 CE).
Scientific trade ($500 billion).
Archaeological Insights
Los Alamos and labs show scientific scale.
Lasting Impact
Science drove modern progress.
From 2000–2025 CE, digital science reshaped knowledge. CRISPR gene editing (2012 CE) enabled precise DNA modification, impacting 10 million lives via trials. Quantum computing advanced, with roughly 100 qubits achieved by 2025, per IBM data. The global science economy hit $500 billion, with AI accelerating research, processing 1 zettabyte annually. Trade in tech, like lab equipment, reached $200 billion, per WTO. Secular ethics and religious values, like Islamic bioethics, guided debates. Digital archives, like CERN’s data, and artifacts, like SpaceX rockets, show progress. Space missions, like Chang’e (2007 CE), expanded cosmology. Science empowered innovation, with about 73-year life expectancy, but raised access and ethical issues, shaping a future of discovery and global collaboration.
Digital Frontier
Digital science redefined discovery and ethics.
Digital Milestones
CRISPR editing (2012 CE).
Quantum computing (~100 qubits).
Science economy ($500 billion).
AI research (~1 zettabyte).
Space missions (2007 CE).
Bioethical debates.
Evidence of Progress
CERN data and rockets reflect scientific leaps.
Global Legacy
Digital science shapes humanity’s future.
Summary: Science drove progress but deepened inequalities, with access to discoveries limited, marginalizing billions and embedding systemic divides in knowledge.
Summary: Science’s arc balanced discovery with challenges, transforming societies through knowledge. Disparities persisted, but intellectual legacies enriched humanity’s understanding.
Summary: Science established order, preserving values through inquiry and innovation, reflecting humanity’s pursuit of truth and progress across millennia.
Lyceum
Welcome to Space Station Laurasia! All passengers and crew members receive a personal device called a Lyceum, which serves as a journal to record and share information with family and friends via neutrionic mobile or desktop devices back on Earth’s surface. This is the Lyceum of Raymond Sheen.
Animations: Dragonset, Matters of Grave Concern, The Pillars of Barad-Dur, Heart of Stone, Golden Leaves, Gravity, and Dragons in Moonlight, by Steven David Bennett
Quo Vadis? [Latin] - Where Are You Going?
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss
