Paul Ranford
@paulranford.bsky.social
UK-based independent scholar, historian of science, finance manager, business studies lecturer. Retired from paid work (apart from occasional lectures). Came to the History of Science late but picked up degrees (BA, MSc, MPhil) along the way #oddmix
If the implied answer to the question “Can we ever understand…etc?” Is “No”, what is the point of asking the question?
Humans have long considered our emotions to be universal. It seems that sadness, for instance, would have felt the same way today as it did 500 years ago.
But an emerging field of history is turning this assumption on its head. @galbeckerman.bsky.social reports:
But an emerging field of history is turning this assumption on its head. @galbeckerman.bsky.social reports:
You Had to Be There
An emerging field of history asks if we can ever really understand how our forebears experienced love, anger, fear, and sorrow.
bit.ly
December 7, 2025 at 6:26 PM
If the implied answer to the question “Can we ever understand…etc?” Is “No”, what is the point of asking the question?
#WorldCupDraw I could have organised this better meself and been down the pub by now. Heidi, you’re with me. Or Nicole. Up to you.
December 5, 2025 at 6:55 PM
#WorldCupDraw I could have organised this better meself and been down the pub by now. Heidi, you’re with me. Or Nicole. Up to you.
Reposted by Paul Ranford
While I was writing under deadline pressure, I left little notes to myself. I’m trying to clean up my desk now, and so far have found these notes are either a) unimportant, b) unintelligible, or c) absolutely vital pieces of information I’d left out of the manuscript.
It’s quite nerve-wracking.
It’s quite nerve-wracking.
December 2, 2025 at 9:40 PM
While I was writing under deadline pressure, I left little notes to myself. I’m trying to clean up my desk now, and so far have found these notes are either a) unimportant, b) unintelligible, or c) absolutely vital pieces of information I’d left out of the manuscript.
It’s quite nerve-wracking.
It’s quite nerve-wracking.
Wow. I am so going to ogle this (and the paintings).
Saw the Joseph Wright of Derby exhibition at the National Gallery today. It was great to see so many of his paintings together, and with some well selected objects. Among them a lovely peep show from Young V&A and this Grand Orrery from Dumfries House
November 30, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Wow. I am so going to ogle this (and the paintings).
Reposted by Paul Ranford
🚨BOOM! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 80,000 signatures! Let’s get it to 100,000 this weekend. If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
November 28, 2025 at 9:19 AM
🚨BOOM! The Petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy has now rocketed past 80,000 signatures! Let’s get it to 100,000 this weekend. If a petition is what it’s going to take let’s get this done!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Joe Wilkinson is punching SO FAR above his weight in this ad that I failed to clock it was a Waitrose ad. I mean, Keira effing Knightley! (NB If my wife reads this, just to say that I am punching above my weight to a similar extent. Safety first 🤫
Weekend catch-up: Joe Wilkinson has a Christmas romance with Keira Knightley in this year’s Waitrose Christmas advert. http://dlvr.it/TPHGTB
November 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Joe Wilkinson is punching SO FAR above his weight in this ad that I failed to clock it was a Waitrose ad. I mean, Keira effing Knightley! (NB If my wife reads this, just to say that I am punching above my weight to a similar extent. Safety first 🤫
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Fabulous PhD opportunity at Queen's University Belfast and Armagh Observatory:
Observing the Heavens from the 'Periphery': Astronomy in Ireland 1640-1830
www.qub.ac.uk/courses/post... Deadline 13 Jan #histSTM #histastro
Observing the Heavens from the 'Periphery': Astronomy in Ireland 1640-1830
www.qub.ac.uk/courses/post... Deadline 13 Jan #histSTM #histastro
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Fabulous PhD opportunity at Queen's University Belfast and Armagh Observatory:
Observing the Heavens from the 'Periphery': Astronomy in Ireland 1640-1830
www.qub.ac.uk/courses/post... Deadline 13 Jan #histSTM #histastro
Observing the Heavens from the 'Periphery': Astronomy in Ireland 1640-1830
www.qub.ac.uk/courses/post... Deadline 13 Jan #histSTM #histastro
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Postdoctoral Position in Science, Technology and Society (STS)
jobs.ethz.ch
November 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Lewis Goodall: Trump's attack can rescue the BBC
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
🖊️ @lewisgoodall.com
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
🖊️ @lewisgoodall.com
Trump's attack can rescue the BBC
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
www.newstatesman.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Lewis Goodall: Trump's attack can rescue the BBC
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
🖊️ @lewisgoodall.com
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
🖊️ @lewisgoodall.com
Let him sue. Encourage it, even. Then stand and fight, goddammit. Drag his sorry case through the British courts in minute detail for a couple of weeks and let the judges decide if his “reputation” was harmed by the edit or by the story as a whole. (Spoiler: it was not.) PS Would pay to watch 😝
Have written for the New Statesman about why, if he will not accept an apology, the BBC should welcome a Trump lawsuit. They should show guts and fight it because impartially matters and if they don't, they will have tacitly accepted a rewritten history.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/med...
www.newstatesman.com/politics/med...
Trump's attack can rescue the BBC
The BBC should use the threat of legal action to strike a blow for press freedom
www.newstatesman.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Let him sue. Encourage it, even. Then stand and fight, goddammit. Drag his sorry case through the British courts in minute detail for a couple of weeks and let the judges decide if his “reputation” was harmed by the edit or by the story as a whole. (Spoiler: it was not.) PS Would pay to watch 😝
Reposted by Paul Ranford
🚨 Job Klaxon! 🚨
@ucl.ac.uk Institute of Archaeology currently has a vacancy for an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology (Ref.: B03-02751)
The post is available from 1 Jan 2026 & is funded until 31 Dec 2028 in the first instance, providing cover for Corisande Fenwick
bit.ly/4oxQgfp
@ucl.ac.uk Institute of Archaeology currently has a vacancy for an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology (Ref.: B03-02751)
The post is available from 1 Jan 2026 & is funded until 31 Dec 2028 in the first instance, providing cover for Corisande Fenwick
bit.ly/4oxQgfp
Job Vacancy: Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology
The UCL Institute of Archaeology currently has a vacancy for an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology (Ref.: B03-02751).
bit.ly
November 12, 2025 at 9:37 AM
🚨 Job Klaxon! 🚨
@ucl.ac.uk Institute of Archaeology currently has a vacancy for an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology (Ref.: B03-02751)
The post is available from 1 Jan 2026 & is funded until 31 Dec 2028 in the first instance, providing cover for Corisande Fenwick
bit.ly/4oxQgfp
@ucl.ac.uk Institute of Archaeology currently has a vacancy for an Associate Lecturer (Teaching) in Islamic Archaeology (Ref.: B03-02751)
The post is available from 1 Jan 2026 & is funded until 31 Dec 2028 in the first instance, providing cover for Corisande Fenwick
bit.ly/4oxQgfp
Reposted by Paul Ranford
This is the most abysmal, pathetic thing. The BBC head resigning because the corporation is not supine *enough* to the far-right.
🔴 Breaking I Davie faced mounting criticism that a Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by Donald Trump
➡️ Read more: trib.al/I0iw7aP
➡️ Read more: trib.al/I0iw7aP
November 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This is the most abysmal, pathetic thing. The BBC head resigning because the corporation is not supine *enough* to the far-right.
Reposted by Paul Ranford
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
For those with a scholarly interest in Franklin, Watson, and other pioneering researchers in molecular biology, @sciencehistory.org has just opened our new landmark collection of their papers, and applications for research fellowships are currently open:
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
www.sciencehistory.org/hmbc
History of Molecular Biology Collection
This unparalleled collection includes Rosalind Franklin's historic 'Photo 51,' which revealed the double-helix structure of DNA.
www.sciencehistory.org
November 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
We are also currently hiring a curatorial fellow to work with the papers of Rosalind Franklin and others in the History of Molecular Biology Collection!
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
This is a 2-year staff position in the archive with a salary of $55k/year and full benefits:
www.sciencehistory.org/research/fel...
Reposted by Paul Ranford
JOB
Assistant Professor in the History of Knowledge Pre-1400,
University of Cambridge
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor in the History of Knowledge Pre-1400,
University of Cambridge
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400
Applications are invited for the position of Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400, in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. Please note
www.cam.ac.uk
November 1, 2025 at 5:44 PM
JOB
Assistant Professor in the History of Knowledge Pre-1400,
University of Cambridge
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor in the History of Knowledge Pre-1400,
University of Cambridge
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Happy Halloween
October 31, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Happy Halloween
Reposted by Paul Ranford
October 29, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Politico: "MPs should consider deleting X, according to a committee led by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle...
"On social media, the report said MPs should feel “empowered to step away from platforms that pose more harm than benefit.”
Absolutely. Please get on with it.
"On social media, the report said MPs should feel “empowered to step away from platforms that pose more harm than benefit.”
Absolutely. Please get on with it.
October 27, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Politico: "MPs should consider deleting X, according to a committee led by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle...
"On social media, the report said MPs should feel “empowered to step away from platforms that pose more harm than benefit.”
Absolutely. Please get on with it.
"On social media, the report said MPs should feel “empowered to step away from platforms that pose more harm than benefit.”
Absolutely. Please get on with it.
Reposted by Paul Ranford
If you’re afraid that books might change someone’s thinking, you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking.
December 3, 2024 at 9:02 PM
If you’re afraid that books might change someone’s thinking, you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking.
Reposted by Paul Ranford
This week we welcome Prof. Steven Shapin to the pod!🎙️
We explore his journey through interdisciplinary spaces, revisit Leviathan and the Air-Pump 40 years on, and explore how credibility, trust and expertise are shaped by the fragmentation of expertise and (recent) political & cultural challenges
We explore his journey through interdisciplinary spaces, revisit Leviathan and the Air-Pump 40 years on, and explore how credibility, trust and expertise are shaped by the fragmentation of expertise and (recent) political & cultural challenges
S5 E11 - Steven Shapin on the Social Life of Scientific Knowledge
Podcast Episode · The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science · 19/10/2025 · 50m
podcasts.apple.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:25 AM
This week we welcome Prof. Steven Shapin to the pod!🎙️
We explore his journey through interdisciplinary spaces, revisit Leviathan and the Air-Pump 40 years on, and explore how credibility, trust and expertise are shaped by the fragmentation of expertise and (recent) political & cultural challenges
We explore his journey through interdisciplinary spaces, revisit Leviathan and the Air-Pump 40 years on, and explore how credibility, trust and expertise are shaped by the fragmentation of expertise and (recent) political & cultural challenges
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Younger workers: it's time to turbocharge your pension on.ft.com/4ooexUC | opinion
Younger workers: it's time to turbocharge your pension
Deferring contributions until your salary is higher is a serious mis-step
on.ft.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Younger workers: it's time to turbocharge your pension on.ft.com/4ooexUC | opinion
Reposted by Paul Ranford
🔔🔔JOB KLAXON🔔🔔🔔
Come and join the team at NMS - we're looking for a new Head of Collections Services. It's a brilliant role and a great team.
Details
Salary - £70.692-80,152
Hours - FT 35 Hours per week
Deadline - Nov 9th, 2025
careers.nms.ac.uk/job/780754
Come and join the team at NMS - we're looking for a new Head of Collections Services. It's a brilliant role and a great team.
Details
Salary - £70.692-80,152
Hours - FT 35 Hours per week
Deadline - Nov 9th, 2025
careers.nms.ac.uk/job/780754
Head of Collections Services
careers.nms.ac.uk
October 14, 2025 at 8:30 AM
🔔🔔JOB KLAXON🔔🔔🔔
Come and join the team at NMS - we're looking for a new Head of Collections Services. It's a brilliant role and a great team.
Details
Salary - £70.692-80,152
Hours - FT 35 Hours per week
Deadline - Nov 9th, 2025
careers.nms.ac.uk/job/780754
Come and join the team at NMS - we're looking for a new Head of Collections Services. It's a brilliant role and a great team.
Details
Salary - £70.692-80,152
Hours - FT 35 Hours per week
Deadline - Nov 9th, 2025
careers.nms.ac.uk/job/780754
Agreed 👍🏻
Tell you what, the fiver a month that FT Edit costs me is a bargain. Literally everything in today's selection is worth a read
October 4, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Agreed 👍🏻
Reposted by Paul Ranford
Miliband says it's 'possible' government should come off Elon Musk's X social media platform
DO IT
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
DO IT
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
September 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Miliband says it's 'possible' government should come off Elon Musk's X social media platform
DO IT
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
DO IT
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Reposted by Paul Ranford
And we still have an opening for a Lecturer in Nature, Environment and Society
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
September 26, 2025 at 9:18 AM
And we still have an opening for a Lecturer in Nature, Environment and Society
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
Reposted by Paul Ranford
We need an associate lecturer in history of modern science @stsucl.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
September 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
We need an associate lecturer in history of modern science @stsucl.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...