Giant Shoulders VII

The latest edition of Giant Shoulders is up at The Questionable Authority.

“The Giant’s Shoulders” is a monthly science blogging event, in which authors are invited to submit posts on “classic” scientific papers. Submissions are due on the fifteenth of each month, and entries will be aggregated and linked to on the host blog of the month. Links to entries should be sent to that month’s host blog. What defines a “classic” paper? This depends upon the field in question, but one expects that the work should have somewhat stood the test of time: we suggest perhaps 10 years old, or more. Contributors should not only describe the research involved but also put it in a broader historical/scientific context: why is the work in question important/groundbreaking/revolutionary/nifty? It should go without saying by the use of the word “classic”, but papers should be in an accepted, established scientific field: contributions promoting non-traditional science and pseudo-scientific ideas are inappropriate. Why restrict yourself to “classic” papers? Entries profiling an important person or concept in the history of science are also acceptable.