CivAtlas / History of science

Science image credits and sources

Each image accompanies a particular science story. Captions distinguish historical records, later editions, portraits, reconstructions and scientific visualizations; an image is not automatically a picture of the event itself.

A Babylonian tablet records right-triangle numbers

The Plimpton 322 clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform numbers.
Period objectA photograph of the Plimpton 322 tablet, preserving an Old Babylonian mathematical number table. It is not a redrawing from a modern textbook.Photographer not identified; tablet scribe unknown · Tablet held by Columbia University Libraries; image record on Wikimedia Commons · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Plimpton 322 clay tablet
Creator
Photographer not identified; tablet scribe unknown
Image provider
Tablet held by Columbia University Libraries; image record on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Tablet held by Columbia University Libraries; image record on Wikimedia Commons
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2026-10-25

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The Rhind papyrus teaches fractions and measurement

Egyptian mathematical writing and numerals on papyrus.
Period objectDetail of the writing on the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, EA10057, showing Egyptian mathematical problems and calculations.Ahmose and other ancient scribes; for the photographer, see the image source record · British Museum collection; image record on Wikimedia Commons · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Detail of the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus
Creator
Ahmose and other ancient scribes; for the photographer, see the image source record
Image provider
British Museum collection; image record on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
British Museum collection; image record on Wikimedia Commons
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The Hippocratic writings follow symptoms and surroundings

Greek medical text in a medieval manuscript.
Later edition or manuscriptA page of Hippocrates' Aphorisms in an early fifteenth-century Greek medical collection held by Wellcome Collection. This is a medieval copy, not an original manuscript from 400 BCE.Hippocratic textual tradition; unidentified fifteenth-century copyist · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark 1.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Fifteenth-century manuscript of Hippocrates' Aphorisms
Creator
Hippocratic textual tradition; unidentified fifteenth-century copyist
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Euclid's Elements builds chains of proof

A page from an early printed edition of the Elements, with geometrical diagrams in the margins.
Later edition or manuscriptA page with geometrical diagrams from the 1482 Latin edition of the Elements. This is a later printed edition, not an original manuscript from around 300 BCE.Euclid (original work); Erhard Ratdolt (printer); Zythème (photograph) · Bibliothèque nationale de France collection; photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Printed edition of Euclid's Elements, 1482
Creator
Euclid (original work); Erhard Ratdolt (printer); Zythème (photograph)
Image provider
Bibliothèque nationale de France collection; photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Bibliothèque nationale de France collection; photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons
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Aristarchus imagines a moving Earth

Ancient Greek text and geometrical diagrams of the distances of the Sun and Moon.
Later edition or manuscriptA tenth-century Greek manuscript of Aristarchus' On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon, preserving geometrical calculations. It is a surviving related work, not his lost original text on heliocentrism.Aristarchus (original work); unidentified tenth-century copyist · Manuscript held by the Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Medieval manuscript of a work by Aristarchus
Creator
Aristarchus (original work); unidentified tenth-century copyist
Image provider
Manuscript held by the Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials
Source record
Manuscript held by the Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials
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Archimedes bounds a circle with polygons

Greek mathematical text with diagrams of a circle and polygons.
Later edition or manuscriptPage 55 of the 1544 collection of Archimedes' works, beginning Measurement of a Circle. This is a later printed edition, not a text in Archimedes' own hand.Archimedes (original work); Johannes Herwagen (printer) · Image made publicly available through the BEIC digital library partnership · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
1544 printed edition of Archimedes' Measurement of a Circle
Creator
Archimedes (original work); Johannes Herwagen (printer)
Image provider
Image made publicly available through the BEIC digital library partnership
Source record
Image made publicly available through the BEIC digital library partnership
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Zhang Heng's seismoscope makes earthquakes an instrument problem

Reconstruction of a seismoscope with dragon heads and toads.
Later reconstructionA reconstruction of Zhang Heng's seismoscope photographed at an exhibition in Warsaw in 2008. It is not a surviving Eastern Han object and does not establish that the ancient instrument's internal mechanism is known with certainty.Cyborian (photograph); for the maker of the reconstruction, see the source record · Photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Modern reconstruction of Zhang Heng's seismoscope
Creator
Cyborian (photograph); for the maker of the reconstruction, see the source record
Image provider
Photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Photograph published by its creator on Wikimedia Commons
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Ptolemy calculates the sky with geometry

An astronomical geometrical diagram in an early printed edition of the Almagest.
Later edition or manuscriptA geometrical diagram from the 1528 Latin edition of the Almagest, showing the later transmission of Ptolemy's work. It is not a second-century original manuscript.Ptolemy (original work); 1528 Latin printed edition · Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Geometrical diagram in the 1528 Almagest
Creator
Ptolemy (original work); 1528 Latin printed edition
Image provider
Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics
Source record
Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics
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Galen's anatomy combines observation with analogy

Historical woodcut portrait of Galen seated with a book.
Later depictionA glass negative from 1950 records a woodcut portrait in the 1500 Venetian edition of Galen's On the Therapeutic Method. This is a later imagined portrait, not a contemporary likeness of Galen.Unidentified woodcut artist in the 1500 edition; Wellcome Collection (1950 record image) · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark 1.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Later portrait in a 1500 edition of Galen
Creator
Unidentified woodcut artist in the 1500 edition; Wellcome Collection (1950 record image)
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Liu Hui explains why the Nine Chapters' procedures work

Classical Chinese text on a page of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.
Later edition or manuscriptA page from a surviving copy of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, showing the work's later textual form. The page is not Liu Hui's manuscript from 263.For the original authors and copyists or block-cutters, see the source record; image published by Jean-Luc W · Wikimedia Commons image record for The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Page from a later copy of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
Creator
For the original authors and copyists or block-cutters, see the source record; image published by Jean-Luc W
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons image record for The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
Source record
Wikimedia Commons image record for The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
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The Aryabhatiya puts numerical tables to work in astronomy

Title page of the 1874 printed edition of the Aryabhatiya.
Later edition or manuscriptTitle page of the Aryabhatiya published in Leiden in 1874, with a later commentary. The image shows the later transmission of this astronomical and mathematical work, not the original text of 499 or a manuscript in Aryabhata's own hand.Aryabhata (original work); Paramesvara (commentary); Hendrik Kern (editor) · University of California Libraries copy; Internet Archive digital scan · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of the 1874 edition of the Aryabhatiya
Creator
Aryabhata (original work); Paramesvara (commentary); Hendrik Kern (editor)
Image provider
University of California Libraries copy; Internet Archive digital scan
Source record
University of California Libraries copy; Internet Archive digital scan
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Brahmagupta includes zero in arithmetic rules

Title page of the 1817 English translation of mathematical works by Brahmagupta and Bhaskara.
Later edition or manuscriptTitle page of the 1817 English translation of algebra, arithmetic and mensuration by Brahmagupta and Bhaskara. It is a later edition of the related mathematical works, not a manuscript from 628; the title page is not presented as the original statement of the rules for calculating with zero.Brahmagupta and Bhaskara (original works); Henry Thomas Colebrooke (English translation) · Gerstein Library, University of Toronto, copy; Internet Archive digital scan · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
1817 English edition of works by Brahmagupta and Bhaskara
Creator
Brahmagupta and Bhaskara (original works); Henry Thomas Colebrooke (English translation)
Image provider
Gerstein Library, University of Toronto, copy; Internet Archive digital scan
Source record
Gerstein Library, University of Toronto, copy; Internet Archive digital scan
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Al-Khwarizmi organizes equation-solving into algebra

Arabic explanations of equations with geometrical square diagrams.
Later edition or manuscriptGeometrical solutions to quadratic equations in Bodleian Library manuscript MS. Huntington 214, Oxford. This is a later copy, not an autograph manuscript from around 830.Al-Khwarizmi (original work); unidentified copyist · Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Later manuscript of al-Khwarizmi's algebra
Creator
Al-Khwarizmi (original work); unidentified copyist
Image provider
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Source record
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
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Al-Razi compares symptoms of smallpox and measles

Title page of the 1848 English edition of the treatise on smallpox and measles.
Later edition or manuscriptTitle page of the 1848 English translation of al-Razi's treatise on smallpox and measles, showing the later transmission of this clinical work. It is not an original manuscript from around 900.Al-Razi (original work); William Alexander Greenhill (English translation) · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark 1.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
1848 English translation of al-Razi's treatise on smallpox and measles
Creator
Al-Razi (original work); William Alexander Greenhill (English translation)
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Ibn al-Haytham connects light, vision and experiment

Buildings, figures and mirrors in an illustration from a sixteenth-century book on optics.
Later edition or manuscriptAn optical illustration in the Latin Opticae thesaurus collection of 1572, presenting related ideas through a historical scene. It is not an eyewitness record of Ibn al-Haytham's experiments around 1020, nor is it presented as a modern experimental diagram.Ibn al-Haytham (original work); Friedrich Risner (editor) · Paris Observatory / Bibliothèque nationale de France digital resources · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Later illustration in a 1572 collection of optical works
Creator
Ibn al-Haytham (original work); Friedrich Risner (editor)
Image provider
Paris Observatory / Bibliothèque nationale de France digital resources
Source record
Paris Observatory / Bibliothèque nationale de France digital resources
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Shen Kuo compares the magnetic needle with geographical direction

Vertical columns of text in an old copy of Dream Pool Essays.
Later edition or manuscriptA page discussing Bi Sheng's printing in a surviving copy of Dream Pool Essays, shown as an example page from the same work. It is not a magnetic-needle diagram or an eyewitness record from 1088.Shen Kuo (original work); for later copyists or block-cutters and the digital image provider, see the source record · Original resource from the National Library of China; image record on Wikimedia Commons · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
A page related to Dream Pool Essays
Creator
Shen Kuo (original work); for later copyists or block-cutters and the digital image provider, see the source record
Image provider
Original resource from the National Library of China; image record on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Original resource from the National Library of China; image record on Wikimedia Commons
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Su Song and collaborators unite sky observation, display and timekeeping

Diagram of the water-driven astronomical clocktower's multiple levels and gear trains.
Later edition or manuscriptA later reproduction of the clocktower diagram in Su Song's Xin yixiang fayao, showing how water power, astronomical instruments and timekeeping were organized. It is not a photograph of the original structure of 1088.Su Song and collaborators (original illustration); for the later reproduction, see the original record · Public image record of the historical illustration in Xin yixiang fayao · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Astronomical clocktower diagram in Xin yixiang fayao
Creator
Su Song and collaborators (original illustration); for the later reproduction, see the original record
Image provider
Public image record of the historical illustration in Xin yixiang fayao
Source record
Public image record of the historical illustration in Xin yixiang fayao
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Maragha organizes observation and criticism of planetary models

The geometrical Tusi couple mechanism formed by two circles.
Historical recordA diagram of the Tusi couple in an astronomical manuscript associated with Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, using geometrical motion to generate straight-line motion. It is a model diagram, not a photograph of the Maragha observatory.Nasir al-Din al-Tusi and manuscript copyists · Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Manuscript diagram of the Tusi couple
Creator
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi and manuscript copyists
Image provider
Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials
Source record
Vatican Library; Library of Congress exhibition materials
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A Maya codex tabulates Venus and eclipse cycles

Deities and written signs on a page of a Maya codex.
Later edition or manuscriptPage 9 of the Dresden Codex, using an image prepared from the 1880 facsimile edition. It is an example page from the codex, not identified here as a Venus-table page or a scene of its production.Unidentified Maya scribes; Ernst Förstemann (1880 facsimile) · FAMSI digital resources on Maya writing and codices · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Facsimile page from the Dresden Codex
Creator
Unidentified Maya scribes; Ernst Förstemann (1880 facsimile)
Image provider
FAMSI digital resources on Maya writing and codices
Source record
FAMSI digital resources on Maya writing and codices
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Copernicus publishes a cosmos with a moving Earth

Title page of De revolutionibus with its Latin title.
Historical recordTitle page of the first edition of De revolutionibus, published in Nuremberg in 1543, showing the published form of Copernicus' work.Nicolaus Copernicus (author); Johann Petreius (printer) · 1543 printed edition; image record on Wikimedia Commons · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of De revolutionibus, 1543
Creator
Nicolaus Copernicus (author); Johann Petreius (printer)
Image provider
1543 printed edition; image record on Wikimedia Commons
Source record
1543 printed edition; image record on Wikimedia Commons
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Vesalius tests old anatomy against bodies and images

Illustration of human blood vessels in an early printed edition of De humani corporis fabrica.
Historical recordAn illustration of veins and arteries in Vesalius' De humani corporis fabrica, showing how printed images transmitted anatomical knowledge. It is a historical book page, not a modern medical examination photograph.Andreas Vesalius (work); Wellcome Collection (image provider) · Wellcome Collection · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Vascular illustration in De humani corporis fabrica
Creator
Andreas Vesalius (work); Wellcome Collection (image provider)
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Kepler tests elliptical orbits against observations

Latin title page of Kepler's Astronomia nova.
Historical recordTitle page of Kepler's Astronomia nova, published in 1609. It is a historical document of the book's publication, not a modern redrawing of planetary orbits.Johannes Kepler · Rare Books Library, University of Sydney · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of Astronomia nova, 1609
Creator
Johannes Kepler
Image provider
Rare Books Library, University of Sydney
Source record
Rare Books Library, University of Sydney
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The Starry Messenger brings telescopic sights into public debate

Latin title page of Galileo's Sidereus nuncius.
Historical recordTitle page of the 1610 Sidereus nuncius held by Houghton Library, Harvard University, documenting publication of Galileo's work on telescopic observations.Galileo Galilei · Houghton Library, Harvard University · 公有领域(原图像记录声明) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of Sidereus nuncius, 1610
Creator
Galileo Galilei
Image provider
Houghton Library, Harvard University
Source record
Houghton Library, Harvard University
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The Principia links Earth and sky through dynamics

Title page of Newton's Principia, 1687.
Historical recordTitle page of the first edition of Newton's Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica, published in 1687, held by the Smithsonian's Dibner Library.Isaac Newton; printer Joseph Streater · Smithsonian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of Newton's Principia, 1687 · 1687
Creator
Isaac Newton; printer Joseph Streater
Image provider
Smithsonian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Smithsonian Libraries, Dibner Library
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Linnaeus arranges nature in tables

Portrait of Linnaeus.
PortraitA portrait of Linnaeus, used to identify the author of Systema naturae. It is not a page from the 1735 first edition or a scene of its publication.Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection · Wellcome Collection · Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Portrait of Linnaeus
Creator
Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Lavoisier reorganizes chemistry

Lithographic portrait of Lavoisier, 1823.
Later portraitA lithographic portrait of Lavoisier made by Hippolyte-Louis Garnier in 1823, after the publication of Traité élémentaire de chimie in 1789.Hippolyte-Louis Garnier · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Lithographic portrait of Lavoisier, 1823
Creator
Hippolyte-Louis Garnier
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Jenner tests cowpox inoculation

Oil portrait of Edward Jenner.
PortraitA portrait of Edward Jenner painted by Stephen Jenner, used to identify him. It is not an eyewitness record of the 1796 vaccination experiment.Stephen Jenner · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Oil portrait of Edward Jenner
Creator
Stephen Jenner
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Faraday demonstrates electromagnetic induction

Photographic portrait of Michael Faraday.
PortraitA historical photographic portrait of Faraday, used to identify him. It is not a photograph of the 1831 electromagnetic induction experiments.Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Photographic portrait of Michael Faraday
Creator
Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Lovelace explores programmable machines

Watercolour portrait of Ada Lovelace.
PortraitA watercolour portrait of Ada Lovelace painted by Alfred Edward Chalon in 1840. It is not the original manuscript of the 1843 notes on the Analytical Engine.Alfred Edward Chalon · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Watercolour portrait of Lovelace, 1840
Creator
Alfred Edward Chalon
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library
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On the Origin of Species argues for natural selection

Title page of On the Origin of Species, 1859.
Historical recordTitle page of John Murray's 1859 first edition of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. This is a reproduction of a historical printed document.Charles Darwin; publisher John Murray · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Title page of On the Origin of Species, 1859 · 1859
Creator
Charles Darwin; publisher John Murray
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Biodiversity Heritage Library; Harvard University Ernst Mayr Library
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The periodic table becomes a tool for prediction

Engraved portrait of Mendeleev.
PortraitAn engraved portrait of Mendeleev by G. J. Stodart after a work by W. Brookes. It is not the original periodic table manuscript of 1869.Warwick Brookes (1843–1929); George J. Stodart · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Engraved portrait of Mendeleev
Creator
Warwick Brookes (1843–1929); George J. Stodart
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Koch reports the bacterium behind tuberculosis

Historical photograph of a bust of Robert Koch.
Later depictionA bust of Koch photographed by Kaufmann & Fabry Co. in 1933. It is a photograph of a later commemorative bust, not the scene of the 1882 research on the pathogen that causes tuberculosis.Kaufmann & Fabry Co. · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
1933 photograph of a bust of Koch
Creator
Kaufmann & Fabry Co.
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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Radioactivity leads the Curies to new elements

Photographic portrait of Marie Curie.
PortraitA historical photographic portrait of Marie Curie, used to identify the researcher. It does not show the experiments in which polonium and radium were discovered in 1898.Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Photographic portrait of Marie Curie
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Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Special relativity rethinks space and time

Group photograph at a luncheon for Einstein, 1922.
Later group photographA group photograph at a luncheon for Einstein, taken by Henri Manuel in 1922. It postdates the 1905 paper on special relativity and does not show the paper's publication.Henri Manuel · Wellcome Collection · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Group photograph at a luncheon for Einstein, 1922
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Henri Manuel
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Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Scattering experiments reveal a concentrated atomic center

Portrait of Ernest Rutherford.
PortraitA portrait of Ernest Rutherford held by Wellcome Collection, used to identify the proposer of the nuclear model of the atom. It does not show the scattering experiments.Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection · Wellcome Collection · Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Image credit & source
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Portrait of Ernest Rutherford
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Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Quantum mechanics develops through several formulations

Historical photographic portrait of Werner Heisenberg.
Later portraitA portrait of Heisenberg photographed in 1933 and supplied by the German Federal Archives. It identifies one of the co-founders of quantum mechanics, not the scene of the theory's publication in 1925.Photographer not credited; Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R57262 · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Portrait of Werner Heisenberg, 1933
Creator
Photographer not credited; Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R57262
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Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Bundesarchiv
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Penicillin begins with an observation, not a ready-made drug

Portrait of Alexander Fleming.
PortraitA portrait of Fleming, used to identify the researcher who observed penicillin's inhibition of bacterial growth. It does not represent the full contribution of the later teams that developed and mass-produced the drug.Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection · Wellcome Collection · Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Image credit & source
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Portrait of Alexander Fleming
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Creator not named in the official record; supplied by Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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Raman and Krishnan identify shifted scattered light

Historical portrait of physicist C. V. Raman.
Later portraitA 1930 portrait of Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, taken after the 1928 light-scattering research. It identifies Raman and does not replace the account of his fellow researcher Krishnan's contribution.Nobel Foundation (credited in the file record; photographer not named) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Portrait of C. V. Raman, 1930
Creator
Nobel Foundation (credited in the file record; photographer not named)
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Nobel Foundation
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Turing models the limits of computation

Diagram of a Turing machine's tape, read/write head and state control.
Modern scientific illustrationA modern conceptual diagram of a Turing machine, using a tape, read/write head and state control to explain the abstract model of computation. It is not a physical machine built in 1936 or an original manuscript by Turing.Schadel; Porao (conversion to PNG) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — author release Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Modern conceptual diagram of a Turing machine tape
Creator
Schadel; Porao (conversion to PNG)
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons
Source record
CEUAMI, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (creative context stated by the original author)
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DNA’s double helix emerges from models and evidence

Molecular model of the DNA double helix.
Modern scientific illustrationA modern molecular model of DNA showing approximately 33 base pairs. It is not the original 1953 model or an X-ray diffraction photograph.Peter Artymiuk · Wellcome Collection · Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Molecular model of the DNA double helix
Creator
Peter Artymiuk
Image provider
Wellcome Collection
Source record
Wellcome Collection
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The reviewed image is resized proportionally and encoded for display, without cropping or generative scene edits.
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The first artificial Earth satellite reaches orbit

A museum display of a replica of the Sputnik 1 satellite.
Later reconstructionA replica of Sputnik 1 photographed by Gary Todd at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2009. It is not the original satellite launched in 1957 or a photograph of the launch site at that time.Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. · Gary Todd via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Museum replica of Sputnik 1
Creator
Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D.
Image provider
Gary Todd via Wikimedia Commons
Source record
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (exhibited object)
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Chinese teams synthesize crystalline bovine insulin

A three-dimensional model of bovine insulin with atoms shown in different colours.
Modern scientific illustrationA structural model of bovine insulin in a historical review published by Yeping Sun in 2015, used to explain the molecular structure. It is not a crystalline sample synthesized in 1965 or a scene from the experiments.Yeping Sun / Protein & Cell, 2015 (credited paper author) · Protein & Cell via PubMed Central · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Modern structural model of bovine insulin
Creator
Yeping Sun / Protein & Cell, 2015 (credited paper author)
Image provider
Protein & Cell via PubMed Central
Source record
Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Plate tectonics unites oceans, earthquakes and moving continents

Geological cross sections showing different types of plate boundary.
Modern scientific illustrationA diagram of three types of plate boundary from the supporting material for the U.S. Geological Survey's This Dynamic Earth, used to explain relative plate motion. It is a later educational diagram, not an illustration from an original 1967 paper.USGS / Smithsonian Institution / U.S. Naval Research Laboratory · U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain — U.S. government work Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Geological diagram of three types of plate boundary
Creator
USGS / Smithsonian Institution / U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Image provider
U.S. Geological Survey
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U.S. Geological Survey
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Apollo 11 completes the first crewed lunar landing

Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface.
Historical recordArmstrong photographed Aldrin on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. NASA photograph AS11-40-5903.Neil Armstrong / NASA · NASA Image and Video Library · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface · July 1969
Creator
Neil Armstrong / NASA
Image provider
NASA Image and Video Library
Source record
NASA Johnson Space Center
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Artemisinin research advances through extraction and isolation

Sweet wormwood cultivated for drug trials.
Related materialPhotograph of sweet wormwood plants cultivated for drug trials, illustrating artemisinin's plant source. It does not show the 1971 extraction experiments.Sue Snell · Wellcome Collection · Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Image credit & source
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Sweet wormwood cultivated for drug trials
Creator
Sue Snell
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Wellcome Collection
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Wellcome Collection
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CRISPR-Cas9 becomes a programmable DNA-cutting tool

Molecular illustration of CRISPR-Cas9 acting on DNA.
Modern scientific illustrationA molecular illustration of CRISPR-Cas9 supplied by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, used to explain RNA-guided DNA cutting. It is neither a photograph of the 2012 experiments nor a photograph from the original paper.National Institutes of Health (NIH) · National Institutes of Health · Public Domain Mark Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Modern molecular illustration of the CRISPR-Cas9 editing tool
Creator
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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National Institutes of Health
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National Institutes of Health
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Experiments announce a new particle consistent with the Higgs

A compilation of candidate-event track displays from the ATLAS and CMS detectors.
Experimental data visualizationA compilation of candidate-event displays from the ATLAS and CMS detectors, compiled and published by CERN in 2013. These are digital visualizations of collision data, not direct photographs of the Higgs particle or scenes from the 2012 announcement.CERN for the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations · CERN via Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
ATLAS and CMS displays of Higgs candidate events
Creator
CERN for the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations
Image provider
CERN via Wikimedia Commons
Source record
CERN
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Chang’e-6 returns the first lunar far-side samples

Chang'e 6 lunar samples on display.
Period objectLunar samples returned by Chang'e 6, photographed at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on 16 October 2024. This is a later display of the returned material, not the landing site at the time of the June return.BugWarp (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source
Image title and date, where documented
Chang'e 6 lunar samples on display · 2024-10-16
Creator
BugWarp (Wikimedia username)
Image provider
Wikimedia Commons
Source record
China National Space Administration
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2026-10-25

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