Positivist or post-positivist philosophy of science? The left Vienna Circle and Thomas Kuhn.

The debate between the revisionist and received views of the relationship between Thomas Kuhn and logical empiricism has until now focused on the relationship between Kuhn and Rudolf Carnap. Here, I consider the relationship between Kuhn and two other members of the Vienna Circle's left-wing; Otto Neurath and Philipp Frank. It is argued that the attribution of the historical turn in philosophy of science to Kuhn obscures the historical awareness displayed in important works by members of the Vienna Circle, and thereby distorts its legacy. Both Frank and Neurath recognised the role for history in theorizing about science, and drawing upon these insights lead them to considerations of scientific theory-choice, rational disagreement, and the role of extra-scientific values in science, that anticipate those later made famous by Kuhn. It is also argued that the Left-Vienna Circle's programme for Unified Science, the replacement of traditional philosophy with a bipartite metatheory of science, provides a clearer and potentially more radical role for the history of science within the philosophy of science than Kuhn's. To reach this conclusion, it is demonstrated that some members of the Vienna Circle maintained a far less robust distinction between contexts of discovery and justification than has typically been attributed to them.

Dr. Carolyn Meltzer: Pioneer, innovator, mentor, and 2023 ACR Gold Medal winner.

Dr. Carolyn Meltzer is an extraordinary radiologist, researcher, mentor, and distinguished leader who deserves recognition for her immense impact on the discipline of radiology. This article serves to acknowledge and celebrate Dr. Meltzer for winning the 2023 American College of Radiology (ACR) Gold Medal. The ACR Gold Medal award is the highest honor awarded to distinguished radiologists with exceptional contributions to the field, and Dr. Meltzer is no exception. She is the 14th woman to win this prestigious award, compared to 191 male winners, although it began as an annual tradition in 1927. Throughout this piece, Dr. Meltzer discusses her journey to where she is today as the dean of Keck School of Medicine at USC, the guidance and development that lead her to this point and provides sound advice for those who seek to follow in her footsteps as a leader and mentor committed to seeking ways to advance and contribute immensely to the field of radiology.

Narratives of contingency and practices of comparing in the emergence of German molecular genetics (1958-1968).

This article explores the emergence of molecular approaches in German genetic research during the 1958-1968 decade as a period of contingency and alternative possibilities. We introduce "Narratives of Contingency" as an analytical framework to examine how scientists construct a specific narrative - linking past experiences with expectations of future conditions - in order to outline and navigate pathway-decisions in the present. We apply this framework to Hans-Jörg Rheinberger's developmental model of molecular genetics and illustrate how the stages he identifies - the direction of the field, institutional developments, and epistemological demarcations - were already central themes in the comparative practices underlying narratives of contingency in this early period. Narratives of contingency can thus serve as a systematic framework for analyzing the processes through which new scientific fields, institutions, and epistemic horizons emerge, and possibly also for identifying historically plausible fork moments or alternative pathways not taken.

Ancient Rapanui genomes reveal resilience and pre-European contact with the Americas.

Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) is one of the most isolated inhabited places in the world. It has captured the imagination of many owing to its archaeological record, which includes iconic megalithic statues called moai1. Two prominent contentions have arisen from the extensive study of Rapa Nui. First, the history of the Rapanui has been presented as a warning tale of resource overexploitation that would have culminated in a major population collapse-the 'ecocide' theory2-4. Second, the possibility of trans-Pacific voyages to the Americas pre-dating European contact is still debated5-7. Here, to address these questions, we reconstructed the genomic history of the Rapanui on the basis of 15 ancient Rapanui individuals that we radiocarbon dated (1670-1950 CE) and whole-genome sequenced (0.4-25.6×). We find that these individuals are Polynesian in origin and most closely related to present-day Rapanui, a finding that will contribute to repatriation efforts. Through effective population size reconstructions and extensive population genetics simulations, we reject a scenario involving a severe population bottleneck during the 1600s, as proposed by the ecocide theory. Furthermore, the ancient and present-day Rapanui carry similar proportions of Native American admixture (about 10%). Using a Bayesian approach integrating genetic and radiocarbon dates, we estimate that this admixture event occurred about 1250-1430 CE.

Unveiling the female experience through adult mortality and survivorship in Milan over the last 2000 years.

This study challenges historical paradigms using a large-scale integrated bioarchaeological approach, focusing on the female experience over the last 2,000 years in Milan, Italy. Specifically, 492 skeletons from the osteological collection of Milan were used to elucidate female survivorship and mortality by integrating bioarchaeological and paleopathological data, paleoepidemiological analyses, and historical contextualization. Findings revealed changes in female longevity, with a notable increase from Roman to contemporary eras, albeit plateauing in the Middle Ages/modern period. Significant sex-specific differences in mortality risk and survivorship were observed: females had higher mortality risk and lower survivorship in the Roman (first-fifth century AD) and Modern (16th-18th century AD) eras, but this trend reversed in the contemporary period (19th-20th century AD). Cultural and social factors negatively impacted female mortality in Roman and modern Milan, while others buffered it during the Middle Ages (sixth-15th century AD). This study underscored the importance of bioarchaeological inquiries in reconstructing the past, providing answers that may challenge historical assumptions and shedding light on how the interplay of cultural, social, and biological factors shaped the female experience across millennia.

Q&A with Daniel Drucker.

Med discusses the history and future of GLP-1 research with Professor Daniel Drucker from the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada.

Human developmental biology - a global perspective.

In the companion Perspective 'Past and future of human developmental biology' (Hopwood, 2024), historian Nick Hopwood proposes that the field of human developmental biology has gone through periods of attention and neglect. Development invited researchers from the field to respond to this idea. In this article, published to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Development's 'From Stem Cells to Human Development' meeting, researchers from eight countries comment on how they believe their local legal, political, regulatory, societal and technological frameworks are influencing the field's trajectory.

Physiological Reports 10th anniversary year: Looking to the future.

Physiological Reports 10th anniversary year banner image.

Controlling systems and controlling legacies: Barbara McClintock's 1961 conversation with two bacterial geneticists.

Barbara McClintock (1902-1992), the renowned American maize geneticist, received the 1983 Nobel Prize "for her discovery of mobile genetic elements," becoming the seventh woman scientist to receive a Nobel Prize. However, Nathaniel Comfort points out that McClintock viewed her primary contribution as the elucidation of control systems, rather than the discovery of mobile elements. McClintock's interest in control systems dates back to the 1940s, and this paper investigates her 1961 conversation with François Jacob and Jacques Monod, where she sought to shape the interpretation of her work by drawing parallels between maize control systems and a bacterial system they had recently discovered. Despite McClintock's efforts, Jacob and Monod rejected her parallels and suggested that her contribution was limited to mobile elements. Through an examination of their published papers, I argue that Jacob and Monod's rejection stemmed from their failure to fully comprehend maize control systems. Disciplinary discrepancy helps explain Jacob and Monod's lack of comprehension: they were molecular geneticists working on bacteria, while McClintock was a classical geneticist studying maize. I further argue that gender played a role, as McClintock experienced the Matilda effect-the under-recognition of her contribution, reinforced by the reactions of two male geneticists, and ironically, by the award of the Nobel Prize. Control systems, stemming from McClintock's reverence for organisms, embodied what Evelyn Fox Keller defines as "gender-neutral science." This divergent view of science provides insight into why Jacob and Monod failed to grasp McClintock's work in 1961.

Looking back, moving forward: An introduction to the special issue honoring the 100th anniversary of the global alliance for behavioral health and social justice.

Since its founding, American Orthopsychiatric Association (AOA) has been at the forefront of working at the intersection of mental health and social justice. In Mental Health and Social Change: 50 Years of Orthopsychiatry (Shore & Mannino, 1975), former organization president and journal editor Milton Shore and Fortune Mannino wrote that the association had consistently held a philosophy that included (a) a commitment to an interdisciplinary approach in the study of mental health problems and the development of mental health programs; (b) an emphasis on prevention as well as treatment; (c) the integration of the clinical and the social; (d) a major focus on the social scene and its interweaving with mental health problems in individuals within society; and (e) an avoidance of dilettantism, superficiality, and well-meaning generalizations through a commitment to high-quality research, thoughtful analysis of mental health issues, and high professional standards of practice in all areas of mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Advancing behavioral health and social justice: A century of global interdisciplinary progress in psychiatric mental health nursing.

This article explores the century-long history of psychiatric nursing through the dual lens of behavioral health and social justice, emphasizing the pivotal role of psychiatric nurses in mental health. Focused on the contributions of nurse members and leaders from the American Orthopsychiatric Association (later known as the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice), the article will provide a comprehensive timeline that showcases the evolution of the field. It will discuss diverse aspects of psychiatric nursing, including role development, work with children and families, minority populations, integrated care, mental illness prevention, mental health promotion, community mental health, and global mental health nursing. Moreover, the article will identify and examine barriers that have historically hindered, and continue to impact, the practice of psychiatric nursing and the delivery of quality mental health care universally. The influence of culture and stigma on mental health and the profession will be discussed, shedding light on how these factors have shaped psychiatric nursing. The article will delve into the future direction of the field, emphasizing the growing importance of global mental health, integrated care, workforce development, and the continued need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Through this exploration, the article aims to offer insights into the significant progress and enduring challenges faced by psychiatric nursing, ultimately underscoring its indispensable role in advancing mental health and social justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Reflecting on 100 years of children's rights.

2024 is the 100th Anniversary of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Endorsed by the League of Nations in 1924 following World War I, the Geneva Declaration is the first international legal instrument recognizing the inherent rights of children worldwide-indeed, it is the first human rights document ever recognized by an intergovernmental organization, thus giving rise to the international human rights era that transformed policy, law, and ethics in the 20th century. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Geneva Declaration, we have the opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made in the first century of intentional work recognizing and advancing the human rights of children internationally. This commentary looks at the international children's rights legal framework that was developed by the global community from 1924 to the present. It then highlights advancements and shortcomings in key thematic areas, such as child health and well-being, poverty, child labor, and education. It closes by focusing on the path and priorities before us as we enter our second century of advancing international children's rights. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).