#science (32 quotes)

• “Good luck,” she said obediently, although she did not believe in luck, only in engineering and the laws of physics.

  20 Jan 2011 #science

• Leaves and small twigs in constant motion;

  wind extends light flag.

  Raises dust and loose paper;

  small branches are moved.

  Small trees in leaf begin to sway;

  crested wavelets form on inland waters.

  23 Aug 2010 #science

• In the second half of the nineteenth century, the cure for scurvy was lost. The story of how this happened is a striking demonstration of the problem of induction, and how progress in one field of study can lead to unintended steps backward in another.

  13 Mar 2010 #science #thinking

• The arguments of Bruce and Shulman suppose that great ideas are precious. It is too much for them to imagine that a discovery as remarkable as the telephone could arise in two places at once. But five people came up with the steamboat, and nine people came up with the telescope, and, if Gray had fallen into the Grand River along with Bell, some Joe Smith somewhere would likely have come up with the telephone instead and Ma Smith would have run the show. Good ideas are out there for anyone with the wit and the will to find them.

  30 May 2008 #thinking #science

• Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. That’s it. That is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy.

  6 Jan 2008 #life #science

• If we were a rich world, we’d innovate our way out of this environmental crisis. We’d breed algae that piss petrol, and albatross that inhale hydrocarbons and then soar upwards to breach into the stratosphere, exhaling ozone. But we aren’t a rich world, so we’re tightening our belts and hoping something will turn up. Nothing will turn up though, because we’re all there is to do the turning up.

  3 Jan 2008 #science #society

• The twice-daily pill, Champix, blocks cravings and withdrawal symptoms by acting on the same brain receptors as nicotine. It also reduces the satisfaction a smoker will get from further cigarettes if they have a relapse.

  31 May 2007 #science