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==March 27 - May 8, 2005==
[[Big Science]] usually implies, and gets its "big-ness" from, these specific characteristics:

* Big budgets: The project no longer has to rely on philanthropy or industry.
* Big staffs: There are many science practitioners involved in the project.
* Big laboratories: The large volume of research taking place necessitates equally large facilities. 
[[Big Science|...more]]

==May 8, 2005 - February 8, 2006)==


'''[[History of science in the Middle Ages]]'''

''' Medieval Period '''
[[Image:Map_of_Medieval_Universities.jpg|left|thumb|''Map of [[Medieval university|Medieval Universities]]'']]
''See Also: [[Medieval medicine]], [[Medieval philosophy]]''

With the loss of the [[Western Roman Empire]], much of Europe lost contact with the knowledge of the past. Because of this regression in knowledge, the long period that followed is also known as the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]].  ...

'''Renaissance Period '''
[[Image:Da_Vinci_Vitruve_Luc_Viatour.jpg|left|thumb|140px|[[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s [[Vitruvian Man]], an example of the blend of art and science during the Renaissance]]
''See Also: [[Renaissance]]''

The Renaissance was instigated by rediscovery of the works of ancient philosophers and an intellectual revitalization of Europe. This provided a solid foundation for all future scientific work. Contact with the Islamic world in [[Sicily]] and [[Spain]] allowed Europeans access to preserved copies of Greek and Roman works along with the works of Islamic philosophers. Translations and commentaries of Aristotle by the Islamic scholar [[Averroes|Averroës]] were influential in much of Europe. ...

'''The Scientific Revolution'''

''Main article: [[Scientific Revolution]]''

The birth of modern science in [[Europe]] began in a period of great upheaval. Events such as the [[Protestant Reformation]], the discovery of the [[Americas]] by [[Christopher Columbus]], the [[Fall of Constantinople]], and the [[Spanish Inquisition]] caused both social and political changes to occur throughout Europe.  ...
[[Image:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|thumb|left|[[Isaac Newton]]]]

The willingness to question previously held truths and search for new answers resulted in a period of major scientific advancements, now known as the [[Scientific Revolution]].  Its origins can be found in the European re-discovery of Aristotle in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This period culminated with the publication of the [[Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica]] in [[1687]] by [[Isaac Newton]].

'''Islamic science'''
[[Image:Islamic MedText c1500.jpg|thumb|right|Sample of Islamic medical text]]
''See Also: [[Islamic science]]''

In the Middle East, Greek philosophy was able to find some short-lived support by the newly created Arab [[Caliphate]] (Empire). With the spread of [[Islam]] in the [[7th century|7th]] and [[8th century|8th]] centuries, a period of Islamic scholarship lasted until the [[14th century]]. ...

In Islamic versions of early [[scientific method]], [[ethics]] played an important role. During this period the concepts of [[citation]] and [[peer review]] were developed. Islamic scholars used previous work in medicine, astronomy and mathematics as bedrock to develop new fields like [[alchemy]]. In mathematics, the Islamic scholar Muhammad ibn Musa [[al-Khwarizmi]] gave his name to what we now call an [[algorithm]], and the word [[algebra]] is derived from ''al-jabr''...  [[History of science in the Middle Ages|...More...]]