Aristotle, Aelian and the giant octopus: the earliest ‘citizen science’ goes back more than 2,000 years

Octopus detail from a Roman mosaic in the 'House of the Dancing Faun', Pompeii (circa 1st century BC). Wikimedia

If we want to research a subject, how do we do it? We could read about it in books or do experiments in a lab. Or another way is to find people who know something about it and ask them.

Collecting information from members of the public has long been a method of scientific research. We call it citizen science. According to National Geographic, this is “the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge”.