The year: 1660. The date: November 28. Present: The Lord Brouncker, Mr Boyle, Mr Bruce, Sir Robert Moray, Sir Paule Neile, Dr Wilkins, Dr Goddard, Dr Petty, Mr Ball, Mr Hooke, Mr Wren, and Mr Hill. Occasion: A lecture by Mr Wren at Gresham College, United Kingdom. AfterChristopherWrenhaddeliveredhislectureatGreshamCollegeonthathistoric occasion in November 1660, they did according to the usual manner, withdraw for mutual converse. It was in 1660 that the Royal Society was founded, with 12 persons present. This year, 2010, is thus a special year for scientists worldwide: it celebrates the...

South Africa - a land of paradigm shifts. A land where we are willing to leave behind the old, to bravely accept the new. What do we need to exit the dark ages in the morphology of galaxies? How prevalent is the cherishing of old concepts? Traditional morphology has been mask-oriented', focusing on masks of dust and gas which may constitute only 5 percent of the dynamical mass of a galaxy.
Some of the world's foremost astronomers flew to South Africa to address morphologically related issues at an International Conference, the proceedings of which are contained in this volume. Examine...