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The transnational approach of the science and technology studies (S&TS) abandons the nation as a unit of analysis in order to understand the development of science history. It also abandons Euro-US-centred narratives in order to explain the role of international collaborative networks and the circulation of knowledge, people, artefacts and scientific practices. It is precisely under this perspective that the development of genetics and radiobiology in Mexico shall be analyzed, together with the pioneering work of the Mexican physician-turned-geneticist Alfonso León de Garay who spent two years in the Galton Laboratory in London under the supervision of Lionel Penrose. Upon his return de Garay funded the Genetics and Radiobiology Program of the National Commission of Nuclear Energy based on local needs and the aim of working beyond geographical limitations to thus facilitate the circulation of knowledge, practices and people. The three main lines of research conducted in the years after its foundation that were in line with international projects while responding to the national context were, first, cytogenetic studies of certain abnormalities, and the cytogenetics and anthropological studies of the Olympic Games held in Mexico in 1968; second, the study of the effects of radiation on hereditary material; and third, the study of population genetics in Drosophila and in Mexican indigenous groups. The program played a key role in reshaping the scientific careers of Mexican geneticists, and in transferring locally sourced research into broader networks. This case shows the importance of international collaborative networks and circulation in the constitution of national scientific elites, and also shows the national and transnational concerns that shaped local practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on science and technology during the Cold War. Topics discussed include several historical research studies on science during the Cold War period; the social history of this period; the role of international and bi-national agencies created in this period; and how these transnational agencies of patronage played a crucial role in the internationalization and standardization of science. It is suggested that transnational history could reconfigure the history of science by highlighting places and actors that remained invisible in national and Western-centered narratives.

This article discusses the scientific and intellectual skepticism relating to the supposed ability of the son of the Marqués de Santa Cara of Spain to see through objects in the 1920s. The authors comment on the rise in public interest in the case and describe the certification of the phenomena by several notable scientists. They also examine the popularity of the alleged human metaphysical and psychic capacity at the time. The eventual involvement of illusionist Harry Houdini and psychiatrist Gonzalo Rodríguez Lafora, both of whom dismissed the supposed powers of the child, is also examined.

The article focuses on Spanish utopian visions and dreams associated with the peaceful application of nuclear technologies in the 1960s in Spain, focusing particularly on the industrial and agricultural applications of isotope technologies. It considers how the Nuclear Energy Board of Spain (Junta de Energía Nuclear or JEN) met the economic development needs of Spain by finding practical applications for their isotope research. Other subjects include the science policy of Spain under General Francisco Franco, public attitudes towards atomic research and nuclear power, and restrictions on the exchange of scientific knowledge during the Cold War.

The article discusses the history of isotope research in France done by the French Atomic Energy Commission (the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique or CEA) during the period from 1946 to 1958. It focuses on the various scientific instruments used to bombard isotopes such as accelerators, cyclotrons, and reactors and considers how the instruments defined the research done in the radioisotope preparation laboratories at CEA. The authors consider British research during the same period and compare it to research conducted at CEA.

The article presents a comparative analysis of the history of isotope research programs designed for both biomedical and industrial applications in the United States, Great Britain, and France from 1945 to 1965. The author focuses particularly on the European isotope industry, especially the radioisotope distribution networks, the creation of training sites for research of radioisotopes, and scholarly publications which focused on isotope research or the use of isotopes as research tools. The author compares the success and productivity of the scientific research by considering evidence of material resources, workforce, and knowledge.

The article discusses Hungarian radiochemist George Hevesy and his research on radioactivity in Hungary during the 1910s. The author asserts that scientific methodology in the study of radioactivity during the period was based on the scientific legacies evolving from either natural history or experiment-based scientific research, sometimes called Baconian science. Other subjects considered are Hevesy's relationships with other scientists in Hungary, the development of the radioactive tracer method, the first applications of radioactive tracers and indicators, the isotope theory of matter, and radioactivity expert Béla Szilárd.

The article discusses British chemist and physicist Francis Aston, winner of the 1922 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of the isotopes of light elements in 1919 using his mass-spectrograph at Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England. The author focuses on Aston's career at Cavendish Laboratory and his adaptive methods of handling laboratory equipment for physics and chemistry experimentation. Some other notable scientists considered include J. J. Thompson, Ernest Rutherford, and Frederick Soddy.

The article discusses reports published within this special issue on the twentieth century history of the science of isotope research, including one by Jeff Hughes and Gabor Palló on the early isotope research by scientists including Frederick Soddy and Francis Aston, one by Soraya Boudia on the use of medical imaging in World War II, and one by Simone Turchetti on Cold War isotope research.