I came into the room, which was half dark, and presently spotted Lord Kelvin in the audience and realised that I was in for trouble at the last part of my speech dealing with the age of the earth, where my views conflicted with his. To my relief, Kelvin fell fast asleep, but as I came to the important point, I saw the old bird sit up, open an eye and cock a baleful glance at me! Then a sudden inspiration came, and I said Lord Kelvin had limited the age of the earth, provided no new source (of energy) was discovered. That prophetic utterance refers to what we are now considering tonight, radium! Behold! the old boy beamed upon me.
Ernest RutherfordMots clés humor science energy speech funny dating discovery views prophecy creationism nobel-laureate lord-kelvin age-of-earth age-of-the-earth new-source-of-energy radioactive-decay radiometric-dating radium
In microbiology the roles of mutation and selection in evolution are coming to be better understood through the use of bacterial cultures of mutant strains.
Edward TatumMots clés science biology evolution culture mutation natural-selection genetics bacteria nobel-laureate microbiology
I am sure my fellow-scientists will agree with me if I say that whatever we were able to achieve in our later years had its origin in the experiences of our youth and in the hopes and wishes which were formed before and during our time as students.
Felix BlochMots clés science inspirational experience youth dreams scientists achievement student nobel-laureate origin
I have not yet lost a feeling of wonder, and of delight, that this delicate motion should reside in all the things around us, revealing itself only to him who looks for it. I remember, in the winter of our first experiments, just seven years ago, looking on snow with new eyes. There the snow lay around my doorstep — great heaps of protons quietly precessing in the earth's magnetic field. To see the world for a moment as something rich and strange is the private reward of many a discovery.
Edward M. PurcellMots clés science rich beauty world delight wonder universe strange earth discovery snow awe senses nobel-laureate reward magnetic-field experiments protons
We live in a world where unfortunately the distinction between true and false appears to become increasingly blurred by manipulation of facts, by exploitation of uncritical minds, and by the pollution of the language.
Arne TiseliusMots clés science truth error world language manipulation superstition facts exploitation false nobel-laureate critical-thinking pollution biochemistry blurred biochemist manipulation-of-facts uncritical-minds
This [discovery of a cell-free yeast extract] will make him famous, even though he has no talent for chemistry.
{Comment on German scientist Eduard Buchner who later ironically won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery}
Mots clés humor science talent funny discovery famous chemistry nobel-laureate scientist indigo buchner cell-free-yeast-extract eduard-buchner synthesized-indigo
I decided that life rationally considered seemed pointless and futile, but it is still interesting in a variety of ways, including the study of science. So why not carry on, following the path of scientific hedonism? Besides, I did not have the courage for the more rational procedure of suicide.
Robert S. MullikenMots clés humor science life purpose meaning-of-life courage funny meaning suicide rationality hedonism interesting study purpose-of-life nobel-laureate scientist molecular-orbital-theory scientific-hedonism study-of-science
While it is never safe to affirm that the future of Physical Science has no marvels in store even more astonishing than those of the past, it seems probable that most of the grand underlying principles have been firmly established and that further advances are to be sought chiefly in the rigorous application of these principles to all the phenomena which come under our notice.
Robert S. MullikenMots clés science save principles probability nobel-laureate advance application marvels affirm physical-science rigorous scientific-marvels
The humanitarian philosophies that have been developed (sometimes under some religious banner and invariably in the face of religious opposition) are human inventions, as the name implies - and our species deserves the credit. I am a devout atheist - nothing else makes any sense to me and I must admit to being bewildered by those, who in the face of what appears so obvious, still believe in a mystical creator. However I can see that the promise of infinite immortality is a more palatable proposition than the absolute certainty of finite mortality which those of us who are subject to free thought (as opposed to free will) have to look forward to and many may not have the strength of character to accept it.
Thus I am a supporter of Amnesty International, a humanist and an atheist. I believe in a secular, democratic society in which women and men have total equality, and individuals can pursue their lives as they wish, free of constraints - religious or otherwise. I feel that the difficult ethical and social problems which invariably arise must be solved, as best they can, by discussion and am opposed to the crude simplistic application of dogmatic rules invented in past millennia and ascribed to a plethora of mystical creators - or the latest invention; a single creator masquerading under a plethora of pseudonyms. Organisations which seek political influence by co-ordinated effort disturb me and thus I believe religious and related pressure groups which operate in this way are acting antidemocratically and should play no part in politics. I also have problems with those who preach racist and related ideologies which seem almost indistinguishable from nationalism, patriotism and religious conviction.
Mots clés science politics strength existence equality acceptance morality freedom obvious ethics philosophy nationalism patriotism democracy atheism autobiography dogma humanism mortality atheist sense superstition immortality views mysticism beliefs racism separation-of-church-and-state ideology biography religious-conviction freethought mystical humanitarian nobel-laureate creator humanist scientist individual-rights secular-humanism simplistic amnesty-international ancient-dogma religious-opposition secular-humanist
My final remark to young women and men going into experimental science is that they should pay little attention to the speculative physics ideas of my generation. After all, if my generation has any really good speculative ideas, we will be carrying these ideas out ourselves.
Martin L. PerlMots clés science advice ideas physics nobel-laureate scientist experimental-science
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