Today in Science History - Quickie Quiz

Sir Martin Rees

(23 Jun 1942 - )

English cosmologist and astrophysicist who became Astronomer Royal in 1995. He studied the distribution of quasars, which he proposed drew their power from huge black holes.

Short biography of Sir Martin Rees >>

Sir Martin Rees
Earth in its Final Century

Sir Martin Rees, the famous cosmologist and astrophysicist, spoke on the development of the universe, and our planet, for this TED talk from July 2005. Rees started with the Big Bang origin of the universe, and moved forward in time six billion years to the dying days of a sun. He next turned his attention to the history of humanity on this planet now reaching a critical turning point in the 21st century. At this time, he explains, man can substantially cause changes on our planet as never before in human history. Calling himself “a concerned member of the human race,” Rees, from the viewpoint of a scientist, addressed the challenges facing mankind, as Einstein had about the issues existing decades before. The collective wisdom of scientists needs to be applied, Rees said, to function as the moral compass, to stimulate the action necessary, and to ensure that the developments in our lifetime preserve our interests into “the immense future.”

TED talk video (source)

Martin Rees quote Cosmos…laboratory…to test new ideas on particle physics

click for more about this quote and a larger picture • 500px • 800px

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Martin Rees quote: It’s better to read first rate science fiction than second rate science—it’s a lot more fun, and no more like

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Martin Rees quote: I hope that in 50 years we will know the answer to this challenging question: are the laws of physics unique

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See also:

Science Quotes by Sir Martin Rees.
23 Jun - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Rees's birth.
Martin Rees - context of quote The physicist is like someone who's watching people playing chess - Medium image (500 x 350 px)
Martin Rees - context of quote The physicist is like someone who's watching people playing chess - Large image (800 x 600 px)
Martin Rees - context of quote Cosmos…laboratory…to test new ideas on particle physics - Medium image (500 x 350 px)
Martin Rees - context of quote Cosmos…laboratory…to test new ideas on particle physics - Large image (800 x 600 px)
Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning, by Martin Rees. - book suggestion.
Booklist for Martin Rees.

Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882) -- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan: In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) ...(more by Sagan)

Albert Einstein: I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by Einstein)

Richard Feynman: It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly. ...(more by Feynman)