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Hooke’s microscopic world
An exploration of the work and motivation of one of the first English scientists.
In 1665 Robert Hooke published the first fully-illustrated book of microscopy, Micrographia. The book introduced its readers to a whole new world of tiny organisms, and astonished people with its beautiful images. It was an instant success – but was it just about documenting science, or was Hooke encouraging his readers to take part in scientific observation themselves?
In her talk, Dr Felicity Henderson searched Hooke’s microscopic discoveries in the plant and insect worlds for answers.