That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
Ernest RutherfordRead
I must confess it was very unexpected and I am very startled at my metamorphosis into a chemist.
Interpretation
Ernest Rutherford expresses surprise at his transformation into a chemist, highlighting the unexpected nature of personal change and development.
In this quote, Ernest Rutherford reflects on his unexpected journey into the field of chemistry, illustrating that personal evolutions often occur without prior anticipation. His sentiment captures the essence of how life can lead us down unforeseen paths, challenging our initial perceptions and allowing growth into roles we might not have initially envisioned for ourselves.
In practice
During a science conference, I could use this quote to express how my career path took an unexpected turn.
That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
I am a great believer in the simplicity of things and as you probably know I am inclined to hang on to broad & simple ideas like grim death until evidence is too strong for my tenacity.
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
Now I know what the atom looks like.
If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment.
Brain studies of mental workouts in which you sustain a single, chosen focus show that the more you detach from what's distracting you and refocus on what you should be paying attention to, the stronger this brain circuitry becomes.
Imagine a survivor of a failed civilization with only a tattered book on aromatherapy for guidance in arresting a cholera epidemic. Yet, such a book would more likely be found amid the debris than a comprehensible medical text.
It's very important for us to see that science is done by people, not just brains but whole human beings, and sometimes at great cost.
I need scarcely say that the beginning and maintenance of life on earth is absolutely and infinitely beyond the range of all sound speculation in dynamical science. The only contribution of dynamics to theoretical biology is absolute negation of automatic commencement or automatic maintenance of life.
If our local, observable universe is embedded in a larger structure, a multiverse, then there's other places in this larger structure that have denizens in them that call their local environs the universe. And conditions in those other places could be very different. Or they could be pretty similar to what we have here.
What's been gratifying is to live long enough to see molecular biology and evolutionary biology growing toward each other and uniting in research efforts.
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