"This Research Network aims to draw attention to an essential part of the material culture of modern sciences, which has only recently become a field of scientific research: Scientific Objects. Current areas of research include: The emergence of new objects in scientific enquiry; the relationship between scientific artefacts (e.g. instruments) and technological systems; scientific things as historical evidence; the interaction among scientific things, images and texts." LINK:
http://scientificobjects.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/scientificobjectsPublic/index.html