To a synthetic chemist, the complex molecules of nature are as beautiful as any of her other creations. The perception of that beauty depends on the understanding of chemical structures and their transformations, and, as with a treasured work of art, deepens as the subject is studied, perhaps even to a level approaching romance.
Interpretation
The beauty of nature's complex molecules is appreciated through understanding their chemical structures.
Elias James Corey emphasizes that the beauty found in the complex molecules of nature is akin to that found in art, revealing itself through a deep understanding of chemistry. This appreciation not only highlights the intricate designs and transformations of these molecules but also suggests that such beauty may evoke strong emotional responses, comparable to the feelings stirred by art, as one delves deeper into the study of chemistry.
In practice
In a speech about scientific discoveries, this quote could highlight the intersection of science and aesthetics.
To the field of synthetic chemistry belongs an array of responsibilities which are crucial for the future of mankind, not only with regard to the health and needs of our society, but also for the attainment of a deep understanding of matter, chemical change, and life.
I have a reverence for medicine because I hero-worshiped my father [a former doctor], and because I admire doctors, I admire study, empiricism and rational thought. I don't study, empiricize or think rationally myself - but I admire it in others.
Economic and technical imperatives - not any preconceived directives - will keep propelling the process of energy transition.
At the extremes it is difficult to distinguish pseudoscience from rigid, doctrinaire religion.
The first mission to Mars did not expect to find craters and river valleys, and yet they did. The first mission to Jupiter didn't expect to find ocean worlds and volcano worlds, but they did.
O telescope, instrument of much knowledge, more precious than any sceptre!
Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein's general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out.
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