The 20th Centuary's Greatest Idea

Argonavis (William) · #1 10-03-2005, 09:14 PM

The most astounding advance to emerge from the 19th C was the Darwinin Wallace theory of Organic Evolution.

The most powerful idea to emerge from the 20th was the concept of physical evolution - that the elements are transformed through nucleosynthesis and we are composed of billion year old carbon.

I understood the seminal paper was written in the late 1950's, by Burbidge, Burbidge, Hoyle, Fowler which defined the mechanism by which stars produce the heavy elements.

Another contributor to the science of this gradual realisation of physical evolution was Hans Bethe (1906—2005)

http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1475_1.asp

Argonavis (William) · #2 10-03-2005, 09:15 PM

for a shockingly good read on this, I recommend Ken Croswell's "The Alchemy of the Heavens". His web site is well worth a visit as well. He has put many of his articles online.

Raydar (Ray Palmer) · #3 19-03-2005, 03:54 AM

Whos Sarah Williams, thats a great bit of poetry.

I'll google.

gaa_ian (Ian) · #4 22-03-2005, 07:09 AM

My great admiration goes to people like Hans .... Answering the really big questions of... how ?
The questions that we can all spend our lives pondering though are ...why ?
Why are we here now, with the insight & intellect to ask these questions ?

wavelandscott (Scott) · #5 22-03-2005, 08:29 PM

I'd submit 4 inventions that "changed the world"...

1903 - Binney and Smith co-invent crayons

1907 Leo Baekland - 1st synthetic plastic Bakelite

1938 Ladislo Biro - ballpoint pen

and my favorite.......

1935 (unknown inventor but friend of mine)...canned beer!

Argonavis (William) · #6 22-03-2005, 10:14 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Raydar
[B]Whos Sarah Williams, thats a great bit of poetry.

I'll google.

I hope you found it - the whole poem is great poetry