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Ralph Drayton

@rddrayton.bsky.social
583 followers 221 following 682 posts

Historian of science and medicine, esp. c.1250-1700, esp. France, esp. medical authority, astrology, religion, and magic Malik Monk appreciator Portland, Oregon, the biofilm

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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10h
This is why I’ve said since forever to my students, when they’ve asked, that the value of a liberal arts education is that it gives you a shot (a shot, anyway) at being something other than a cog in a machine you don’t understand.
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Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Ask yourself why the CEO of an online gambling company is giving money for research into the history of art using AI.
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
184 new cuneiform tablets ✍️ (total), dating to c.1400 BCE. “Preliminary examination of the texts has revealed references to military activities, epidemics, the death of an infant princess & requests for assistance sent to the king by Hittite military commanders” www.heritagedaily.com/2026/10/184-...
heritagedaily.com
184 cuneiform tablets discovered in Hittite royal archive
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Kayalıpınar in Türkiye have discovered a Hittite royal archive containing 184 cuneiform tablets and fragments. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News
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Liliana Segura @lilianasegura.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I've been thinking and talking and writing about the death penalty for my whole adult life and the past week+ has been truly surreal and exhausting, not only because of the onslaught of horrors but because there seems to be so little historical memory of what this system is and always has been.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
There should be a nonplussed and a wayplussed, where plussed is where Bill and Ted are doing the air guitar thing.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Seems like the phrase “the ugly aspects of its institutional formation in [the] 19C” is right no matter what one is talking about.
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Alexander Manshel @manshel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
“The rise may also be attributed to the use of AI to identify books to ban. Particularly in Texas, where state legislation was difficult to understand and apply, AI was used to identify books for removal. In several cases, AI recommended banning books that were banned elsewhere, creating a snowball effect for frequently banned books while the expertise of librarians and the communities they serve are ignored.”
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It had to do with the evil version taking over the guy’s life if he fell asleep. Or something.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Me, episode of Night Stalker, where an evil doppelgänger was tossing rocks thru a little window of a church to keep his other from sleeping (he couldn’t enter the church, you see). I haven’t seen that episode since it first aired, so I don’t really know why it scared the hell out of me, but it did.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“Beef” — It’s What’s For Dinner. (Honestly, I think Robert Mitchum would totally have done an ad for “beef.”)
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Bono’s not much of a lead blocker, so yeah
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just got my copy. Looking forward to reading it.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Plus, if we taxed them properly, that money could be going to public universities and colleges.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Nobody should have $3 billion to give anybody.
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Earth.com @earthdotcom.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A nearly intact medieval wax notebook found in Germany still bears readable Latin notes, offering a rare glimpse into the daily life of a wealthy 13th- or 14th-century merchant.
earth.com
A 700-year-old notebook was found at the bottom of a medieval latrine, now scientists have figured out how to read it
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Then there’s one of the great albums of all time— youtu.be/5zOOfX-wx0M?...
youtu.be
But I've Got Texas
YouTube video by Jon Wayne - Topic
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
OpenAI will keep going rogue until morale improves.
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Kate Clancy @kateclancy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I've now gotten three reviews from right-wing media outlets of Pregnancy Interrupted while most center and left-wing outlets have avoided coverage of a book that contests the cultural norms we put around the science of pregnancy.
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Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
#histmed This is indeed a fascinating study. If you haven't heard of the "Plague of Cyprian" before, you're not alone. Its historiographical significance has only been realized in the past few years. And no, currently it's not believed to be plague (Yersinia pestis). What was it? We don't know yet!
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Beautiful. Also, scroll through Maria Sibylla Merian’s illustrations here and learn about her if she’s unfamiliar to you, and poke around for more pics. You will not be disappointed! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mar...
nhm.ac.uk
Maria Sibylla Merian: Metamorphosis unmasked by art and science | Natural History Museum
Adventuring unchaperoned in seventeenth century Suriname, Maria Sibylla Merian blazed a trail for women and science.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Ergo, etc.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Is that AI Paul Harvey?
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It’s a prediction market, not a gambling site, so don’t feel like an idiot.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Accepting the award on behalf of Mr. McCarthy, who is on location in Morocco, is Elmer Fudd. Mr. Fudd can be seen currently in MGM’s production of The Postman Always Rings Twice.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Charlie McCarthy raises questions about what synthetic performers should be nominated for.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I would like to like this again.
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Irene Soto Marín @irenin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
My book has a face! 🥹📚 So excited to finally share the cover of The Nile Flows with Gold. Forthcoming, Spring 2027 with Princeton University Press.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
#histsci
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Kathleen Crowther @sacrobosco.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
If you want to read about labor (the reproductive kind) this Labor Day, Policing Pregnant Bodies is on sale (30% off with code HLAB26) www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...
press.jhu.edu
Policing Pregnant Bodies
From Ancient Greece to Post-Roe America
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Exactly. You bought the books, you read the books. You xeroxed the articles, you read the articles. Or you read reserved copies in the library. No problem. You turned your paper in to the prof’s mail box. No problem. (Downhill since lawsuits preventing copy shops from selling course packets.)
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I’m assuming I don’t see the superscript thing bc I use a steam-powered iPhone 0.03. And I’m okay with that.
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Peter Frankopan @peterfrankopan.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Peter has written a guest post which you can read here peterfrankopan.substack.com/p/how-did-he...
peterfrankopan.substack.com
How Did Hermes Reach China? A Silk Road Detective Story
Peter Stewart is an outstanding scholar with a remarkable breadth of interests.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Please repost! Drexel announced that it will close the Academy of Natural Sciences public museum- the oldest nat history museum in the US. There are 2 petitions to support the academy. Please sign both & come to our rally Tues. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pe... www.change.org/p/the-academ...
A poster featuring the T-Rex at the cognitive natural sciences, which says save the Academy natural sciences, museum rally in front of the academy 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, Tuesday, September 8 10 AM. The T-Rex is saying tell Drexel keep the museum open. There’s an RSVP QR code and then the logos of Philly Science Action Skype scientist In Philly on the bottom.
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Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Interesting profile of a woman who in the 1950s wrote some of the earliest programming code for running computer simulations, including pioneering work in non-linear dynamics: wapo.st/3UXwSyu [gift link] #HistSTM
wapo.st
Her work was key to a landmark experiment. She was credited in a footnote.
Mary Tsingou Menzel, who has died at 97, played a central role in a Los Alamos physics experiment. A half-century later, she finally got her due.
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Phillip Maciak @pjmaciak.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
No matter how you refine your questions, the chatbot will generate responses reflecting what the greatest number of users are likely to want to hear, which tends to be close to what they think they already know." A great, painstaking piece. www.hnn.us/article/ai-i...
hnn.us
AI Is an Anti-Primary Source Machine
Real voices from the past are threatened by chatbots designed to amplify — and ultimately become — the loudest voices in the room.
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Dave Mazella @davemazella.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is the endgame for TX "core reform": wiping out any traces of the last 100 yrs of scholarship in the humanities, but also wiping out the humanities. This is coming to every system in the state. www.statesman.com/news/educati...
statesman.com
UT proposes cutting more than 100 'narrow' courses from core this spring
UT courses on slavery, race, sexuality and environmental history are among those that could stop counting toward UT's core.
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Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Did someone say Sacrobosco? Look what forthcoming book by @sacrobosco.bsky.social now has an official January 2027 publication date: 👀 😃 press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... #HistSTM #MedievalSky
press.princeton.edu
The Book Everyone Read
How an all-but-forgotten medieval astronomy book ushered in the modern age of science
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Ben Gross @bhgross144.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Happy 250th birthday, America! To celebrate the occasion, we're closing your oldest natural history museum. www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/a... #scicomm #Philadelphia
nbcphiladelphia.com
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to close museum on Sept. 30
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will close its museum in Philadelphia on Sept. 30, 2026, NBC10 confirmed.
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Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Online lecture on "Alchemy and the Scientific Revolution" by Prof. Lawrence Principe, this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. CDT, hosted by The Linda Hall in Kansas City: events.lindahall.org/alchemyandsc... #HistSTM #EarlyModern
events.lindahall.org
Alchemy and the Scientific Revolution (Virtual)
Although alchemy was once considered unrelated to the history of science, or even imagined to be an “obstacle” to the emergence of modern chemistry, historians now recognize it as a crucial contributo...
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Gallica BnF @gallicabnf.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Aujourd’hui, Gallica se penche sur l’extraordinaire bestiaire de l’un des plus célèbres récits de voyage du Moyen Âge, "Le Devisement du monde" ou "Livre des Merveilles", de Marco Polo : licornes, dragons, léopards, éléphants ou hommes-loups sont au rendez-vous ! => c.bnf.fr/ASg
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Mike’s Movie Madness in Portland — legendary, and still going strong. Amazing collection of movie memorabilia and 90,000+ titles.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Just don’t go too deep into the basement….
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
But not Senators.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
All of this is yet another reminder of the value of history of science, which of course includes histories of “rejected knowledge” — astrology, alchemy, “scientific racism,” eugenics, etc. People really need a better understanding of when, how, why knowledge comes to be accepted/rejected.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
what would the credibility of a physics department be with a flat earther on the staff, or a pilot training school be with me, say, teaching there?
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
But actually, it would be fun to see them in person after all this time, if I get back to Madison sometime.
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I love radio and what it does to the imagination. I’ve been listening to the Mel & Floyd Summer Replacement Show on WORT in Madison for 30 years. I’ve never even seen a picture of the hosts, and I’m glad bc I have very specific images of them in my mind (sorry, guys lol).
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Ralph Drayton @rddrayton.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
not sure why some people think philosopher is equivalent to guy with opinions, any more than physicist or airline pilot, say. (I think I know why but they’re wrong.)
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Chris @multiplicityct.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Pangram experiment part two. I forgot to click "More Human" on Deft AI Writing's interface. A completely LLM-written paragraph comes up 100% human-written in Pangram if I use that Deft feature. It sounds clunky to my ear, and is definitely not my voice.
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Chris @multiplicityct.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Did a little experiment since Pangram is in the discourse this week. First & second grafs of my dissertation chapter (written 100% by me): judged 100% AI. The two grafs together (no changes): judged 67% AI. Then I had Deft rewrite the first graf -- completely LLM text, judged 54% AI. 🤷🏻‍♂️
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