Editing 1838 in science (section)

==Technology==
* January 6/11 – [[Samuel Morse]] first publicly demonstrates the [[electrical telegraph]], at [[Morristown, New Jersey]].
* April 4–22 – The [[paddle steamer]] [[SS Sirius (1837)|SS ''Sirius'' (1837)]] makes the [[Transatlantic Crossing]] to [[New York City|New York]] from [[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Ireland]], in eighteen days, though not using steam continuously.<ref>{{cite web|title=Steamship Curaçao|url=http://www.vrcurassow.com/2dvrc/sscuracao/sscuracao.html|accessdate=2011-02-02| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101224202256/http://vrcurassow.com/2dvrc/sscuracao/sscuracao.html| archivedate= 24 December 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* April 8–23 – [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]'s paddle steamer {{SS|Great Western}} (1838) makes the Transatlantic Crossing to New York from [[Avonmouth]], [[England]], in fifteen days, inaugurating a regular steamship service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/icons-timeline/1820-1840 |title=Icons, a portrait of England 1820-1840 |accessdate=2007-09-12 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922055840/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/icons-timeline/1820-1840 |archivedate=22 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Liverpool]]-built [[barque]] ''Ironsides'' becomes the first large ocean-going iron ship.<ref>{{cite book|first=John|last=Grantham|title=On Iron Ship Building|location=London|publisher=Lockwood|edition=2nd|year=1859|pages=13–14}}</ref>
* [[William Barnett (engineer)|William Barnett]] obtains a United Kingdom [[patent]] for an [[History of the internal combustion engine|internal combustion engine]], the first with compression of the gas/air mixture in the cylinder.<ref>Patent No. 7615, ''Obtaining motive power from inflammable gases by compression and explosion''.</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Dugald|last=Clerk|authorlink=Dugald Clerk|title=Gas and Oil Engines|url=https://archive.org/details/gasoilenginecler00clerrich|location=London|publisher=Longman Green & Co|year=1897}}</ref>
* [[David Bruce (inventor)|David Bruce]], Jr., invents the Pivotal Typecaster, which replaces hand typecasting in printing.
* [[Moritz von Jacobi|Boris Semyonovich Yakobi]] invents [[electrotyping]], which is used in printing and reproduction of art objects.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Heinrich|first=Herbert|title=The Discovery of Galvanoplasty and Electrotyping|journal=Journal of Chemical Education|date=December 1938|pages=566–575|volume=15|issue=12}}</ref>
* The first [[screw-pile lighthouse]] is built by [[Alexander Mitchell (engineer)|Alexander Mitchell]] on [[Maplin Sands]] in the [[Thames Estuary]].
* [[Charles Wheatstone]] originates the [[stereoscope]].