When I realized, in 1978, that Lucy did represent a new species of human ancestor, and that I had an opportunity to name this new species, I realized this was a revolutionary step in understanding human origins.
Donald JohansonRead
Evolution is a fact. It is the best explanation of what is known from observations. It's a theory as powerful as the theory of gravity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evolution is a scientifically supported explanation for the diversity of life, comparable in strength to theories such as gravity.
In this quote, Donald Johanson emphasizes that evolution is not only a well-supported fact, but also a powerful scientific theory that explains a vast array of observations about life on Earth. He equates its significance to that of the theory of gravity, indicating that both concepts are foundational to our understanding of the natural world.
Themes
EvolutionScienceTheoryGravityExplanationLife
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation on the importance of scientific theories, I referenced Johanson's quote to highlight the significance of evolutionary theory.
More from Donald Johanson
All quotes βWhere we are going as a species is a big question. Human evolution certainly hasn't stopped. Every time individuals produce a new zygote, there's a reshuffling and recombination of genes. And we don't know where all of that is going to take us.
Donald JohansonRead
And what I wanted to do was, I wanted to explore problems and areas where we didn't have answers. In fact, where we didn't even know the right questions to ask.
Donald JohansonRead
I think that many of my ideas are correct, but I'll bet you, before my death other discoveries will be made that will prompt me to alter various ideas I have about human evolution.
Donald JohansonRead
Similar quotes
Science cuts two ways, of course; its products can be used for both good and evil. But there's no turning back from science. The early warnings about technological dangers also come from science.
Carl SaganRead
If we are serious about moving toward energy independence in a cost-effective way, we should invest in solar energy. If we are serious about cutting air and water pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we should invest in solar energy.
Bernie SandersRead
Let's not spend resources that we don't need to be sending astronauts back to the moon. Let's not spend expensive resources on bringing people who have reached Mars back again. Prepare them to become a growing colony.
Buzz AldrinRead
If the tribal peoples actually represented Western origins at a much earlier time, it was exceedingly valuable that they should be studied intensely for clues about the nature and origin of human society. Consequently it was an injury to science and human knowledge to allow the military to simply exterminate them.
Vine Deloria Jr.Read
The scientific theorist is not to be envied. For Nature, or more precisely experiment, is an exorable and not very friendly judge of his work. It never says "yes" to a theory. In the most favorable cases it says "Maybe," and in the great majority of cases simply "No." If an experiment agrees with a theory it means for the latter "Maybe," and if it does not agree it means "No." Probably every theory will some day experience its "No" - most theories, soon after conception.
Albert EinsteinRead
The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.
Albert EinsteinRead