French Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau died in Paris, aged 66. Although best-known for his jungle paintings, he never left France and the nearest he seems to have got to a jungle was the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.
John van Wyhe explores a book about the travels of Darwin and his contemporaries
Patricia Fara looks at a comprehensive account of Robert Boyle, the 17th-century natural philosopher
Graham Southorn on a brief look at the first optical instrument
This is a sparkling introduction to the great naturalist's milieu and the evolution of his ideas, says Christina Hardyment
Jim Bennett welcomes a history of science that succeeds where many others have failed – most notably in being engaging, fresh and ambitious
Patricia Fara enjoys the tale of a radical chemist whose volunteers were eager to take part in his experiments with laughing gas