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Longitude and our neurons of navigation
"Where am I?" is a crucial question for survival. Answering it, from the sci-fi discoveries of navigational neurons to a master horologist forgotten by history, is a tale worth your time.
In the early 18th century, navigation was still an imprecise science, often requiring dead reckoning, in which haphazard guesswork was combined with intermittent latitude measurements—and a sprinkle of hope—to determine a ship’s location. At a time when empires could rise and fall on the high seas, it became obvious that cracking the code of longitude wouldn’t just save sailors’ lives; it would literally determine who ruled the oceans. If to carry Ships in Safety, to give Help to People tost in a troubled Sea, without knowing to what Shoar they bear, what Rocks to avoid, or what Coast to pray for in their Extremity, be a worthy Labour, and an Invention that deserves a Statue.
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