31 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Chemistry VS Biology
I came to biochemistry through chemistry; I came to chemistry, partly by the labyrinthine routes that I have related, and partly through the youthful romantic notion that the natural sciences had something to do with nature. What I liked about chemistry was its clarity surrounded by darkness; what attracted me, slowly and hesitatingly, to biology was its darkness surrounded by the brightness of the givenness of nature, the holiness of life. And so I have always oscillated between the brightne...Chargaff relates how he was drawn to Chemistry for its clarity surrounded by the unknown and later biology for its lack of clarity but surrounded by the known.
02 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Davy's Poem Seeking to Inspire Other Scientists
He depicts himself watching in rapture the two adult grey-tailed eagles in the bright sunlight, followed by their young offspring. This moment is transformed into an image of Davy the man of science, hoping to inspire his young scientific protégés to ever greater discoveries.
The mighty birds still upward rose
In slow but constant and most steady flight.
The young ones following; and they would pause,
As if to teach them how to bear the light
And keep the solar glory full in sight.
So went...Evokes images of prometheus, but also of triumph.