Science & Technology
Welcome to the Science and Technology department. We research, maintain and monitor one of the most important collections of scientific and technological material in Europe.
Our collections are open to researchers for examination, and we'd be happy to help you conduct research. Please contact our staff to enquire.
Contact list of staff members
Science & Technology department
Our collections
The Science and Technology collections are broad-based, ranging from scientific instruments made in the eleventh century to cutting-edge developments in renewable energy technologies. Some items are tiny, such as micro-electronic computing components; some are huge, including 73 aircraft. They are held at the National Museum of Rural Life and the National Museum of Flight as well as the National Museum of Scotland and National Museums Collection Centre.
These collections represent not only the development of scientific concepts and technical details but also the historical and cultural significance of science, medicine and technology, and their impact on people and the environment.
What we do
Science and Technology stories
Napier's bones: The logarithmic genius who revolutionised calculations
Science and technology
Written by Dr Tacye PhillipsonFind out how this brilliant Scottish mathematician and occultist invented a method of calculation that accelerated scientific discovery.In 1614, Edinburgh-born Renaissance scholar John Napier (1550-1617) invented logarithms. A means of…
The first ever colour television
Science and technology
The oldest known surviving colour television in the world is held in the National Museum of Scotland collection. It was manufactured in 1946 by General Electric in the USA for the Columbia Broadcasting Service (CBS) and is the only one of…
Wylam Dilly: One of the world's oldest locomotives
Science and technology
Wylam Dilly is one of the world’s two oldest surviving locomotives. Built in 1813, it used to pull coal along the Wylam Wagonway to the river, near Newcastle upon Tyne.The Wylam Dilly steam locomotive is named after the Wylam Colliery,…
