Royal Society exhibition revives 18th-century debate about shape of the Earth

Argument about a lemon- or orange-shaped planet highlights importance of international competition in science, curator says

It was a row that split scientists, launched globe-trotting expeditions and for one man, ended in murder: was the Earth shaped like an orange or a lemon?

The 18th-century debate - and the endeavours that settled it -can now be relived by visitors to this year's Royal Society summer science exhibition, in a display called Figuring the Earth".