There’s a tendency to think of scientists as emotionally distant—two left brains for the price of a right. Ironically, the more iconic the scientist, the more we ought to know about them, the more that image tends to calcify: Think of it as the Genius Industry™. A forthcoming online sale by Christie’s auction house, however, offers a slew of items that show off famous scientists’ more personal sides. Though the sale, called “Eureka! Scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century,” is full of patents, proofs, and papers, you’re just as likely…
