I would like to bring to everyone's attention the just found and published diaries of Robert Hooke, a polymath contemporary with Sir Isaac Newton who, as a scientist in residence at the Royal Academy, kept a detailed record of their proceedings. The entire manuscript has been made freely available to the world by the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust of the United Kingdom. The technology is amazing and is really worth trying out.

It is hoped that analysis of this manuscript will provide rich information on some of the many scientific controversies of the time. The late 17th century is one of the richest epochs of scientific discovery, with the works of both Newton and Boyle revolutionizing our understanding of the world. The role of the Royal Society at the time as a publicly-funded patron of scientists is extremely interesting for anyone interested in innovation policy. Particularly interesting are the conflicts of interest, personality and ambition that existed at the time, drawing our attention to scientific knowledge does not evolve in a constant linear fashion. Rather, it is subject to controversy, debate and politics just as much as other areas of discovery, as evidenced by the title of this short entry, pulled from page 5 of Hooke's manuscript (to read more about the controversy see this newstory from The Telegraph). Thank you Royal Society and Wellcome Trust!