Science Friday > Archives > 2004 > August
> August 6,
2004:
Hour Two: Archaeopteryx / Franklin's Technology / Invention of the Xerox Machine
Join Ira Flatow and guests in this hour of Science Friday for a look at the electrical technology of Ben Franklin's time. It went far beyond keys and kites -- to lights, motors, and even musical instruments. What can early electrical tools and toys tell us about science in the 1700s?
Plus, we'll hear about the inventor of the Xerox machine, Chester Carlson. Carlson beat out huge research labs to develop the technique known as xerography, still used in almost every photocopier on the market today. Though his invention made millions, he gave it all away, fulfilling his ambition to die a poor man. We'll find out more.
We'll also talk about new research into dinosaurs on the wing. Some scientists say new imaging studies on fossil skulls show that the brains of Archaeopteryx were wired for flight. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern), and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required).
Guests:
Angela Milner
Associate Keeper of Palaeontology
The Natural History Museum
London, England, UK
------
Michael Brian Schiffer
Author, 'Draw
the Lightning Down: Benjamin Franklin and Electrical Technology in the
Age of Enlightenment' (University of California Press, 2003)
Professor of Anthropology
at the University of Arizona
Tuscon, Arizona
--------
David Owen
Author, 'Copies
in Seconds: Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine' (Simon
and Schuster, 2004)
Staff Writer for 'The New
Yorker'
New York, New York
This segment produced by Charles Bergquist
Archived Audio:
Archaeopteryx
listen
in RealAudio format
listen
in Windows Media format
early electricity
listen
in RealAudio format
listen
in Windows Media format
xerography
listen
in RealAudio format
listen
in Windows Media formatstreaming
audio help from NPR
Related Links:
All
About Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx
Feathered
Dinosaur Could Fly, Study Says
Ancient
Bird Had the Right Stuff
Flying
dinosaur had 'bird brain'
Smithsonian:
Industry, Machines and Electricity
The
World of Benjamin Franklin
"
Franklin ...He's Electric !" @ The Franklin Institute
IEEE
Virtual Museum -- īThe history of electricity , electronics
The
Bakken: A Library and Museum of Electricity in Life!
Invent
Now | Hall of Fame | | Inventor Profile - Chester Carlson
History
of Xerox Photocopiers and Xerography
The
Story of Xerography
Books/Articles Discussed:
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