There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally, they credit the wrong person.
― Bill Bryson
Category: science
You learn something new everyday!
I like to post quotes that resonate with me from time to time and this:
…and this:
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
…caught my eye. It was attributed to Darwin, and I had no reason to believe he didn’t say it. The variations in the quote were probably a flashing neon sign that I didn’t see. Something compelled me to look up the quote online and it turns out it’s a misquotation.
One so prominent, it was featured in the California Academy of Sciences (until they removed the Darwin mention).
The real quote seems to be from Leon C. Megginson, Professor of Management and Marketing at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. While the quote itself is a good one, it is a lesson in knowing when to fact check and research (hint: ALWAYS!) – something I will do for all quotes I post in future.
Sources:
torture the data and it will confess to anything
Torture the data and it will confess to anything, as they say at Guantanamo Bay.
Bad Science, Ben Goldacre
This quote is somewhat amusing but very much true of some research carried out. It’s not just limited to science either. How many times do less than reputable sources cherry-pick data and use it to support a conclusion that isn’t correct?
Particularly nowadays with the internet being an open house in terms of the information availability. Researchers must handle data with great care and avoid the temptation of moulding it to fit their hypotheses or narratives.
Happy Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day
Women In Science
- Science History Institute
- Science Musuem
- For Women In Science
- Most influential women in British science history
#IWD2021
We are, each of us, a little universe
QUOTE: Science is the acceptance of what works
Science is the acceptance of what works and the rejection of what does not. That needs more courage than we might think.
> Jacob Bronowski (Mathematician, 1908-1974).
The Science of Today
The science of today is the technology of tomorrow
–Edward Teller
Edward Teller was an American physicist who was instrumental in the creation of the hydrogen bomb. He earned the name ‘father of the hydrogen bomb’, although he would later claim he was not as involved as people thought he was.
This is covered in an interesting article in Scientific American called ‘The many tragedies of Edward Teller‘.
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: If there is any reaction, both are transformed.” — C.G. Jung
