A Very "Distilled" Emblem in Baroque Rome: Natural Philosophy, Alchemy, and Atomism in the Academy of the Umoristi.

Created and published in a printed volume in 1611, the emblem chosen by the literary Academy of the Umoristi is intriguing at multiple levels. At a time when the water cycle was still unknown, the image engaged the thorny question of how the evaporation of salty seawater, condensed into clouds, could subsequently pour down as sweet rain. Additionally, the Lucretian motto "Redit agmine dulci" audaciously evoked the philosophy of atoms. The combination of the image and the motto suggested looking at the meteorological phenomenon on display as a sort of natural distillation process, not different from the circulations taking place in the alembic. This enquiry will document how the Academy of the Umoristi was influenced in the choice of its emblem by the scientific Academy of the Lincei and how, towards the end of the seventeenth century, under the patronage of Christina of Sweden, the interconnection of alchemy and atomism alluded to in the academic emblem was reclaimed as a distinctive philosophical banner.

Aspectos de la vida y obra del Dr. Bernardo Alberto Houssay / Aspects of the life and work of Dr. Bernardo Alberto Houssay

Con motivo del Día Mundial de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, se realizó en la Casa Museo Bernardo Houssay un conversatorio en el que expertos biógrafos resaltaron algunos aspectos de la trayectoria profesional del Premio Nobel de Medicina de 1947, destacando su actividad como investigador en fisiología y sus cualidades humanas. Estos importantes estudiosos del tema compartieron sus conocimientos en un selecto auditorio. (AU)

On the occasion of World Science and Technology Day, a discussion was held at the Bernardo Houssay House Museum in which expert biographers highlighted some aspects of the professional career of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Medicine, highlighting his activity as a researcher in physiology and his human qualities. These important scholars of the subject shared their knowledge in a select audience. (AU)

La Academia de los Linceos y su historial de resurgimientos / The Lincei Academy and its History of Revivals

El manuscrito hace una revisión sobre la historia de la Academia de Los Linceanos creada a principios de siglo XVII con todas las vicisitudes que rodearon una existencia la cual ya supera los 500 años. Como una muestra cabal de sus claroscuros se efectúa un repaso de las peripecias atravesadas en los años del fascismo, la política antisemita que la atravesó y la posterior reconstitución concluida la guerra. Vayan pues para ella, los deseos de una travesía en plena armonía y no más sobresaltos. (AU)

The manuscript reviews the history of the Academy of the Linceans created at the beginning of the 17th century with all its ups and downs surrounding an existence that already exceeds 500 years. As a clear example of such chiaroscuro, an account of the threats experienced during the fascist period together with its piercing anti-Semitic policy, and the subsequent reconstitution after the war, is also made. Long live then to the Academy, and our very best wishes for a consonant future devoid of upsetting facts. (AU)

La Real Academia de Medicina de Castilla la Mancha, ya es un hecho / The Royal Academy of Medicine of Castilla la Mancha, is already a fact

La Sociedad de Medicina y Cirugía de Albacete surge en 1968 para suplir la ausencia de Academia de Medicina en Castilla la Mancha, tras 52 años de trabajo e intensa actividad ha logrado constituirse en Real Academia de Medicina mediante su transformación con el Decreto 255/2019 del Gobierno de Castilla la Mancha y la reciente concesión de SM el Rey Felipe VI del título de “Real”.(AU)

The Society of Medicine and Surgery of Albacete arose in 1968 to make up for the absence of the Academy of Medicine in Castilla la Mancha, after 52 years of work and intense activity it has managed to become the Royal Academy of Medicine through its transformation with Decree 255 / 2019 of the Government of Castilla la Mancha and the recent granting of His Majesty King Felipe VI of the title of “Real”.(U)

Duplicate networks: the Berlin botanical institutions as a 'clearing house' for colonial plant material, 1891-1920.

For centuries, herbarium specimens were the focus of exchange in global botanical networks. The aim was the 'complete' registration of the flora, for which 'complete' collections in botanical institutions worldwide were considered to be a necessary basis, although this ardently sought-after ideal was never achieved. The study of colonial plants became a special priority of botanical research in the metropolises. With knowledge of the many treasures of the plant world considered the key to securing wealth and power, political and economic interests influenced both the organization and the subject matter of scientific research. After the German Reich began annexing colonies in the 1880s, legal regulations established Berlin's botanical institutions as the research centre on colonial flora. They also became a clearing house for plant material from overseas. Berlin-based curators selected duplicates of herbarium specimens from the German colonies, distributing them to other botanical institutions throughout Germany. More importantly, duplicates became a form of currency in trans-imperial networks, which relied on reciprocity. In exchange for duplicate German colonial herbarium specimens, the Berlin institutions received vast quantities of botanical samples from their British, Dutch, French and American counterparts.

Celebrating 120 Years of Butantan Institute Contributions for Toxinology.

A hundred and twenty years ago, the Butantan Institute was founded by the Brazilian physician and scientist Vital Brazil, combining, in the same institution, medical research, and the transfer of results to society in the form of health products [...].

Os censos do INEP como critério para entender a formação em Psicologia: gênese, panorama e indicadores atuais / INEP censuses as a criterion to understand Psychology professional education: genesis, overview,and current indicators

Objetivamos refletir como os censos do INEP podem possibilitar um critério para analisar a formação do psicólogo no Brasil. Estabelecemos uma estratégia metodológica baseada na pesquisa bibliográfica e análise documental. Contextualizamos o surgimento do INEP e a sua lógica de estabelecer o censo do ensino superior pelas figuras de Lourenço Filho e Anísio Teixeira, suas estadas na Universidade de Columbia e apropriações de ideias psicológicas, educacionais e administrativas. Adentramos tais censos, entre 1940-2010, para entender o expansionismo educacional e a formação do psicólogo. No censo de 2020,observamos: predominância de cursos privados sobre os públicos; expansão formativa em cursos interioranos; expressão da mercantilização da Psicologia; discrepância entre os cursos de Bacharelado e Licenciatura; equivalência e diminuição da oferta de cursos de Licenciatura no ensino público e privado. Concluímos que a análise empreendida ajuda a entender o campo da formação do psicólogo em suas nuances históricas, políticas, estatísticas, sociais e educacionais.

We aim to reflect on how the INEP's censuses mayprovide a criterion to analyze the professional education of psychologists in Brazil.We established a methodological strategy based on bibliographic-research and document analysis. We contextualized the INEP's emergence and its logic of establishing higher education census through the figures of Lourenço Filho and Anísio Teixeira, their stays at Columbia University and appropriations of psychological, educational and administrative ideas. Weexamedsuch censuses, between1940-2010, to understand the educational expansionism and professional education of psychologists.In the 2020 census, we observe: predominance of private courses over public ones; educationalexpansion in inland courses; expression of a commodified Psychology; discrepancy between the Bachelor's and the Teaching License Degree in the education of psychologists; equivalence and reduced offers of Psychology Degreecourses in public and private education. We conclude that the analysis undertakenhelps to understand the psychologist professional educationfield in its historical, political, statistical, social and educational nuances.

Molecularización, genetización y centros de referencia: el Instituto de Bioquímica Clínica de Barcelona (1969-1980) / Molecularization, geneticization and reference centers: the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry of Barcelona (1969-1980)

En conjunto, la molecularización y la genetización de la biomedicina del siglo XX construyeron un enorme listado de enfermedades, la mayoría raras, con unas necesidades asistenciales muy específicas, una gran dependencia del laboratorio e importantes dificulta-des para la creación de expertos. Estos fenómenos indujeron grandes cambios en las redes asistenciales y en los itinerarios diagnósticos. Uno de los más significativos fue la aparición de centros de referencia en los que concentrar los recursos humanos y materiales para enferme-dades tan poco prevalentes. A partir del estudio del Instituto de Bioquímica Clínica “Fundación Juan March” de Barcelona, este artículo aborda la aparición de estos nuevos espacios en la España del Tardofranquismo. Farmacéuticos, pediatras, políticos y gestores sanitarios, con sus diferentes intereses, aparecen como actores involucrados en la forja de un instituto que en pocos años se erigió como centro de referencia nacional para enfermedades de depósito lisosomal. El trabajo revela la importancia que tuvo la sensibilidad social sobre la discapacidad intelectual como motor (y excusa) de la iniciativa, el papel de las fundaciones filantrópicas y la influencia de la ciencia norteamericana en todo el proceso, en circulación a través de los viajes de los científicos españoles al extranjero (AU)

Ethical capacity and its challenges in the academy of science: historical continuities and contemporary violence.

This reflective essay is inspired by a roundtable discussion at the World Science Forum on the question 'Are there ethical limits to what science can achieve and should pursue?' I argue that, amid the conflicting trends of 'technological utopianism'-extreme faith in technological solutions; and 'post-truth' politics-the populist pushback against the universality of science, the conditions for ethical knowledge production are significantly challenged. Drawing on insights gleaned from my work on political violence, law, and technology, I point to historical continuities in the way the application and pursuit of science relates to violence-especially state violence. Conscious of the fact that science exercises no restraint on violence-and indeed, may be put to work for violent purposes-the paper calls for more attention to the social, structural, and political conditions of scientific production. The final part of this essay, therefore, examines three developments challenging the ethical capacity of scholars and scientists today. These are (1) the bureaucratization of ethics (2), 'ethics washing,' and (3) co-optation. Like other policy domains in our society, informed normative assessments around scientific pursuits-value judgments and ethical evaluation-ought to be based on sound empirical knowledge of the contingencies of science.

Gaia Pigino: Inside the cell.

Gaia Pigino studies the molecular mechanisms and principles of self-organization in cilia using 3D cryo-EM.

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute: Past, present and future.

Compared internationally, the history of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is unusual. Founded in 1944, at a time of utmost isolation, it was a response to specific needs of the government of Switzerland during the Second World War. In 1943, the Swiss Federal Council approached universities in Switzerland and asked them to submit project proposal that had the potential to mitigate possible post-war unemployment and threatening economic isolation. Members of the University of Basel proposed to establish a Swiss Tropical Institute (today: Swiss TPH). With its harbour at the River Rhine, Basel was an important international transport hub. The city was and still is the headquarters of important pharmaceutical companies, such as Novartis Pharma AG and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, which were looking for new markets overseas. Last but not least, scientific expeditions to Africa were rather common in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century for members of Basel's bourgeoisie. Initially, Swiss TPH focused primarily on basic research into diseases of poverty, but over the years it has developed into an important player in public, international and global health. This article sees the development of the institute as a reflection of the visions of its directors from the founder Professor Rudolf Geigy to Professor Jürg Utzinger, who is the current Swiss TPH director. It includes interviews with the four latest of them, discussing their experiences and attempts to adapt the institute to an ever changing global environment. From these lessons learnt we hope to gain insights that could be relevant for today's leaders of scientific institutes; foster public-private partnerships and contribute to solve some of the most pressing global health challenges.

Nancy Davis Reagan, First Lady with a Neurosurgical Legacy.

Various well-known people associated with the history of the presidency of the United States have experienced neurologic disease or injury, especially trauma to the head or spine. Nancy Reagan, however, as the wife of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady, would leave a significant and lasting mark on the progress of neurosurgical science and education. Recognized for endeavors against drug abuse, Alzheimer disease, and polio, her interest in neurosurgical research is less well known. Nancy's father Loyal Davis was a remarkable neurosurgeon and educator of extraordinary influence. When Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) founder John Green experienced complications after an illness, Davis served as BNI director during 1966 - 1967. After Davis's death in 1982, Robert Spetzler, who had been a student of Davis at Northwestern University Medical School and was then BNI director, convinced Green, despite his misgivings, to support a neurosurgical laboratory recognizing Davis. In 1988, Nancy Reagan, then First Lady, dedicated the Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory. At the dedication, she remarked on her years growing up in the home of a pioneering neurosurgeon and remarked that "my father believed deeply in the importance of research to develop new methods for treating patients." Green and Spetzler's unified efforts honored the extraordinary career of Davis in a manner he would have appreciated, were supported by a First Lady with deep involvement in politics and philanthropy dedicated to promoting advances in medicine, and are part of neurosurgery's unique heritage.

Cuba-U.S. scientific collaboration: Beyond the embargo.

Cuba and the U.S. have the oldest Academies of Sciences outside Europe. Both countries have a long history of scientific collaboration that dates to the 1800s. Both scientific communities also share geographical proximity and common scientific research interests mainly in Biotechnology, Meteorology, and Public Health research. Despite these facts, scientists from both nations face serious barriers to cooperation raised by the U.S. embargo established in 1961 that prohibits exchanges with Cuba. The study aims to analyze the effects of U.S. policy on scientific collaboration with Cuban scientific institutions. The results of the bibliometric analysis of Cuba-U.S. joint publications in the Web of Science, and Scopus databases between 1980 to 2020 indicate sustained growth of scientific collaboration between scientists of both nations over the past forty years. The results also show that after the 1980 Smithsonian Institution and the Cuba's Academy of Sciences agreement significantly increased scientific collaboration between U.S. scientists with their Cuban peers. President Barack Obama's approach to normalizing the U.S. Cuba relations in 2015 enhanced Cuban scientific production with U.S. scientists by exceeding the number of collaborative papers published during any preceding U.S. Presidential administration. By 2020, Cuba had expanded its scientific links to 80% of the countries in the world. Cuban and U.S. scientists converted from adversaries into partners, showing that science is an effective diplomatic channel. A particularly important question for the future is how robust is the collaboration system in the face of greater political restrictions?

An analysis of actions taken by Fundação Oswaldo Cruz for the communication and popularization of science. / Uma análise das ações de divulgação e popularização da ciência na Fundação Oswaldo Cruz.

An analysis is presented of actions taken by the Brazilian research institution Fiocruz for the communication and popularization of science, from two perspectives. The aim was to investigate how a system for the communication and popularization of science is organized at a large scientific institution and how it is articulated with the institutional discourse. A brief review is presented of how the topic has developed over the history of Fiocruz, followed by a discussion of the way it has been addressed in its official planning documents. The science communication/popularization actions undertaken in 2015 and 2016 were mapped out and classified according to how they interact with the public, giving a better understanding of this area.

Neste trabalho apresentamos uma análise das ações de divulgação e popularização da ciência na Fiocruz a partir de duas perspectivas. O estudo tem por objetivo investigar como se organiza um sistema de divulgação e popularização da ciência em uma instituição científica de grande porte e como esse sistema se articula com seu discurso institucional. Além de fazer uma breve revisão da evolução do tema na história da Fiocruz, realizamos um levantamento de como o mesmo tem sido tratado nos documentos oficiais de planejamento. Com o mapeamento das ações realizadas em 2015 e 2016, foi possível compreender melhor esse universo e classificá-lo de acordo com suas características junto ao público.