The discovery of the Golgi apparatus

The existence of the cell organelle which is now known as Golgi apparatus or Golgi complex, or simply as 'the Golgi", was first reported by Camillo Golgi in 1898, when he described in nerve cells an 'internal reticular apparatus' impregnated by a variant of his chromoargentic staining. It soon became clear that the newly-identified cytoplasmic structure occurred in a variety of cell types. However, the reality of the organelle was questioned for decades, until it was finally ascertained with electron microscopy. The Golgi apparatus was destined to become a protagonist of the research in cytology and cell biology pursued in the second half of the twentieth century.     

The discovery of REM sleep

The impetus to pursue the study of ocular motility in sleeping adults was derived from a previous study conducted by the author on infants. He noted through visual observation alone that there was an approximate twenty minute interlude of complete ocular quiescence during each hour of sleep. This period of quiescence was termed 'No Eye Movement Period' or 'N.E.M. Period', and it was the intent of the author to ascertain what effect age would have on the distribution of N.E.M. periods during sleep. In the latter part of 1951, the first continuous all-night recording of ocular motility in sleep using a combined EEG and EOG technique was conducted on the author's eight year old son. Instead of N.E.M. Periods, what he found were aproximately twenty minute periods of vigorous ocular activity including saccadic-like eye movements. Although he ultimately termed these epochs as 'REM Periods', his initial intent was to name them 'Jerky Eye Movement Periods' or "JEM Periods'. Ironically, some three decades later he found that a mathematical measure of jerkiness was a better discriminator than velocity in distinguishing REMs from waking saccades. Kleitman, who was the thesis advisor, played the role of skeptic during the REM discovery and demanded unassailable proof of the existence of REM. His feelings had to be ambivalent inasmuch as the REM state, with its concurrent activated cerebral cortex, negated his own theory that sleep was a completely passive phenomenon.     

The discovery of anti-epileptic drugs

The general history of epilepsy is well documented, there being detailed accounts from ancient times in Babylonia (Wilson et al., 1990), ancient India (Bharucha & Bharucha, 1989), and China (Lai & Lai, 1991), up until the end of the 19th century (Tempkin, 1971). But relatively little has been written about its medical treatment, (Melville, 1982). The subject of this article is the history of potassium bromide, phenobarbitone and phenytoin, how their use in epilepsy was discovered, and in particular the surprisingly large part played by chance, luck and serendipity, in their introduction to the pharmacopaeia. The advance in this field has been one of sudden leaps forward, followed by periods of apparent inactivity, until the next discovery emerged, a pattern repeated many times, since medical treatment of epilepsy began with potassium bromide in 1857, until the introduction of vigabatrin in 1990.     

秦城《红罗记》传奇稿本的发现

庄一拂<古典戏曲存目汇考>、周妙中<江南访曲录要>、李修生<古本戏曲剧目提要>等皆将秦子陵<如意珠>传奇著录为明末清初作品,认为清代叶怀庭<纳书楹曲谱>所收、姚燮<今乐考证>所著录的无名氏<如意珠>传奇即秦子陵的<如意珠>传奇.     

千载难逢的考古发现——记长沙马王堆西汉墓

马王堆位于长沙市东效,距市中心约4公里。这里原有两个土家,相传为五代楚王马殷|公元907至930年|的莫地,故名“马王堆”。又因两堆东西并列,故又名“马鞍堆”。《太平寰宇记》说是西汉长沙王刘发的母亲程姬及姬的“又女冢”,或名“二姬墓”。发掘结果证明,     

侯马金墓怀旧

岁月悠悠。往事如烟。眨眼我们即将进入21世纪。回顾自己走过的近半个世纪的考古之路。不禁感慨万千。近来整理侯马、稷山金墓资料。睹物追昔。那尘封已久的记忆却忽又变得清晰起来。创业的艰辛。跋涉的困苦又都一幕幕涌上心头。令人思绪难平。遂信笔记下了一段难以忘怀的往事。     

From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the K-Ar dating method

In this paper I try to explain why the potassium-argon dating method was developed much later than other radiometric methods (like U-He and U-Pb), which were established at the beginning of the 20^th century. In fact the pioneering paper by Aldrich and Nier (1948) was published 50 years after the discovery of polonium and radium, when nearly all the details concerning potassium isotopes and radioactivity of potassium-40 had been investigated. The role of Marie Curie’s concept of the nature of radioactivity in the discovery of the radioactivity of potassium is emphasized.     

Chance, creativity, and the discovery of the nerve growth factor

This essay analyzes the history of the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) discovery, relating some of the principles of the theory of scientific creativity to the cognitive and personal qualities of the scientists that participated in the discovery, particularly Rita Levi-Montalcini and Viktor Hamburger. The discovery of NGF is especially attractive for the history of science as it involves chance, luck, creativity, and some extraordinary scientists.     

禹会村遗址的发掘收获及学术意义

禹会村遗址是淮河流域一处较大型的龙山文化遗址,也是中国古代文明探源工程中关键时期的关键遗址,对其发掘,为考证与相邻地区同类文化的关系,提供了直接的证据,同时也弥补了龙山文化的地域性空白,更重要的是为求证大禹治水史绩、探索江淮地区文明起源的进程以及后来如何汇聚、如何加速王朝国家的形成过程,具有重大意义。     

贺兰山的大发现

荒山坡上发现了大片塔林著名的宁夏贺兰山拜寺口双塔背后是一大片荒山坡。1999年7月14日，笔者听说双塔背后的山坡上发现了一块“壁画”，随即赶到现场察看。所谓“壁画”，是埋于乱石堆中的一小块白灰墙面，上面绘有红色纹饰。当时，估计是残存墙面的“壁画”，就决定清除其周围的乱石。谁也没有想到，清理干净后，呈现在眼前的却不是壁画，而是一座十字折角形的塔基壁画。彩绘塔基出现在双塔后边的山坡上，这里有无可能再出现一片著名的青铜峡108塔？带着疑问与猜想，贺兰县文管所与宁夏考古所开始了探查清理。于是，文物维修、考古史上的…