Fellows Of The Royal Society

"What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Never mind."

"It is the characteristic of error to be feeble, fluctuating, and anxious: it is the property of truth to be constant in the unity of its perceptions, and calm in the consciousness of its own power. The assailant who is ever attacking, and ever changing the ground of his attack, may prove his anxiety, his vigilance, the hostility of his purpose, and the boldness of his daring; but he will also prove the weakness of his own resources, and the impregnable resistance of that which he is seeking to overthrow."

"...they make no use of tables; but only of the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of certain numbers, of which we do not presently discern the ground, nor to what these numbers refer."

"[negative numbers] ‘…darken the very whole doctrines of the equations and make dark of the things which are in their nature excessively obvious and simple.’"

"We are at an interesting juncture in cosmology. With new methods and technology, the accuracy in measurement of the has vastly improved, but a recent tension has arisen that is either signaling or as-yet unrecognized uncertainties. Just under a century ago, Edwin Hubble revolutionized cosmology with his discovery that the . Hubble found a relationship between radial velocity and the distance to nearby galaxies, determining the proportionality constant Ho (=v/r), that now bears his name. The Hubble constant remains one of the most important parameters in cosmology. An accurate value of Ho can provide a powerful constraint on the cosmological model describing the evolution of the universe. In addition, it characterizes the expansion rate of the Universe at the current time, defines the observable size of the Universe, and its inverse sets the ."

"The , which measures the , together with the total energy density of the Universe, sets the size of the observable Universe, its age, and its radius of curvature. Excellent progress has been made recently toward the measurement of the Hubble constant: a number of different methods for measuring distances have been developed and refined, and a primary project of the has been the accurate calibration of this difficult-to-measure parameter. The recent progress in these measurements is summarized, and areas where further work is needed are discussed. Currently, for a wide range of possible s, the Universe appears to have a . Combined with current estimates of stellar ages, the results favor a . They are consistent with either an , or a with a non-zero value of the ."

"... after finishing my postdoc, I became a faculty member at , and then ended up being the scientific leader of this project to measure the rate at which the universe is expanding. ... when that project finished, .. we .. resolved the issue. We went from a factor of 2 uncertainty — we measured an uncertainty of 10%."

"My research group studies microbial communities, primarily using cultivation-independent approaches such as genomics (metagenomics) and community proteomics."

"Physically-based techniques facilitate the creation of models capable of automatically synthesizing complex shapes and realistic motions that were, until recently, attainable only by skilled animators, if at all."

"Here is a simulated physical world — a very simple world consisting of a room with walls and a floor. A spherical obstacle rests in the middle of the floor. You’re seeing the collision of an elastically deformable solid with the sphere. Of course, we’re also simulating gravity."

"I would like to talk about deformable models, which are physically-based models of nonrigid objects. I have worked on deformable models for graphics applications primarily with Kurt Fleischer and also with John Platt and Andy Witkin. Deformable models are based on the continuum mechanics of flexible materials. Using deformable models, we can model the shapes of flexible objects like cloth, plasticine, and skin, as well as their motions through space under the action of forces and subject to constraints."

"I am a Professor in the Departments of Earth and Planetary Science and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (see contact information below)."

"Physically-based modeling adds new levels of representation to graphics objects. In addition to geometry — forces, torques, velocities, accelerations, kinetic and potential energies, heat, and other physical quantities are used to control the creation and evolution of models. Simulated physical laws govern model behavior, and animators can guide their models using physically-based control systems. Physically-based models are responsive to one another and to the simulated physical worlds that they inhabit."

"is much more common than classical . It is estimated to affect about one in every three or four hundred of the general population. More than half a million people in the United Kingdom have some kind of disorder on the autistic spectrum, with over 200,000 of them having Asperger's syndrome. Disorders of the autistic spectrum are found much more often in men than in women, although this may be because women are better at compensating for some of their more noticeable features, being better at social relationships and less likely to exhibit narrow interest patterns."

"Despite poor eyesight, Kepler was one of the pioneers of research into optics. He found a good approximation to the . Descartes, the discoverer of the precise law, said that Kepler was his true teacher in optics, who knew more about this subject than did any of those who preceded him. This research was published in his of 1611, which also contained an account of a new . Towards the end of his life he wrote a small work on the gauging of wine casks, which is regarded as one of the significant works in the ."

"Although the theory of s (s where the underlying space is a and the group operations are ) goes back to around 1870 the theory of topological groups in a more general sense seem not to have been considered until 1925 when and , independently, made the basic definitions, rather in the spirit of , and since then this too has developed into a major branch of . It was Weil (1937) who wrote the first definitive study of s and applied the theory to both s and topological groups. However the basic idea was already emerging early in the century, indeed the concepts of and were well understood by Weierstrass and by Cauchy before him."

"The successful launching of the Sputnik was a demonstration of one of the highest scientific and technological achievements of man—a tantalizing invitation both to the militarist in search of ever more devastating means of destruction and to the astronomer searching for new means of carrying his instruments away from their earthbound environment."

"Although the main field of Laplace's research was , he also made important contributions to the and . In his (Analytical theory of probability) of 1812 he summarized, in a masterly introduction, all that was then known in the area of probability and its applications. This work introduces the technique known later as the Laplace transform, a simple and elegant method of solving s."

"It is the aim of science to co-ordinate all observable phenomena within a single natural order and it is its faith that such is possible. Hence the basic objection to acceptance of the supernatural. If the scientific stand is justified, then everything, whether of matter, energy, mind or spirit, belongs to one vast scheme—it is all one and every part has meaning in relation to the whole. This is as much a tenet of faith as any other belief, but it forms the working hypothesis of all real scientific endeavor. As a basis for action or inquiry it is worth pushing to the limit...If facts or phenomena, in whatever field, fail to fit in, then we modify or rebuild our conceptions until they do, on the assumption that they belong and that there is no separate pigeonhole for mystic revelation and no possibility for arbitrary intervention by any powers that be. If this brings the divine down to earth, so much the better for earthly inhabitants."

"A theory which cannot be mortally endangered cannot be alive."

"All the British s produce viable fruits without the necessity for fertilization () so that, although they have all the advantages of dispersal associated with normal seed production (in this instance of the parachute-bearing fruits), yet their reproduction is equivalent to vegetative propagation."

"It was not till the middle of the nineteenth century that the rich harvest of American s really began to be garnered, though the had already introduced from there in 1663."

"In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs. Not the man who finds a grain of new and precious quality but to him who sows it, reaps it, grinds it and feeds the world on it."

"From the woods of north-west America came that familiar evergreen shrub ', which in some gardens to-day is almost a weed; yet such was the enthusiasm with which it was first received that roots commanded a price of ten s each."

"Civilization in its higher form today, though highly complex, forms essentially a unitary mass. It has no longer to be sought out in separate luminous centers, shining like planets through the surrounding night. Still less is it the property of one privileged country or people. Many as are the tongues of mortal man, its votaries, like the Immortals, speak a single language. Throughout the whole vast area illumined by its quickening rays its workers are interdependent and pledged to a common cause."

"For books he had no respect, but merely considered them as tools to be worked with. Thus he did not bind them, and even when a paper book fell to pieces from use, as happened to Müller’s ‘Befruchtung,’ he preserved it from complete dissolution by putting a metal clip over its back. In the same way he would cut a heavy book in half, to make it more convenient to hold. He used to boast that he had made Lyell publish the second edition of one of his books in two volumes, instead of in one, by telling him how ho had been obliged to cut it in half. Pamphlets were often treated even more severely than books, for he would tear out, for the sake of saving room, all the pages except the one that interested him, The consequence of all this was, that his library was not ornamental, but was striking from being so evidently a working collection of books."

"For indeed it is one of the lessons of the history of science that each age steps on the shoulders of the ages which have gone before. The value of each age is not its own, but is in part, in large part, a debt to its forerunners. And this age of ours, if, like its predecessors, it can boast of something of which it is proud, would, could it read the future, doubtless find much also of which it would be ashamed."

"An article in ' in June 1959 described Sir Edward James Salisbury as a “prophet and propagandist of botany”. Inspired by the plants that grew wild in his native , he became a pioneering ecologist, lecturer, author – The Living Garden (1935) was a bestseller – and, from 1943-56, director of the . He was also a keen photographer and a large collection of his glass plate negatives – natural landscapes and individual plant studies – was recently discovered in the archives."

"It is tempting to assume that the process of natural selection has brought about a nicety of adjustment between the seed output and mortality, and this presumption is implicit in most of the writings on this topic. If true, it involves as a necessary corollary that the potential of a species is a measure of its susceptibility to natural mortality."

"... the is extremely tolerant of . It can grow quite well with as much as 1.5% of salt in the sand and will tolerate up to 6%. Moreover, it will endure quite prolonged inundation by a high tide."

"There seems to be one quality of mind which seems to be of special and extreme advantage in leading him to make discoveries. It was the power of never letting exceptions go unnoticed."

"The love of experiment was very strong in him, and I can remember the way he would say, "I shan't be easy till I have tried it," as if an outside force were driving him. He enjoyed experimenting much more than work which only entailed reasoning, and when he was engaged on one of his books which required argument and the marshalling of facts, he felt experimental work to be a rest or holiday."

"During his long period on the academic staff of Salisbury’s scientific reputation rose steadily with the publication of a succession of research papers in botanical and other journals and of several important books, including The reproductive capacity of plants (1942), and also through his frequent and much acclaimed lectures to a wide range of botanical and horticultural audiences. He was President of the in 1928, Vice-President of the in 1928-9, and in 1933 he was elected a . In 1937 he became President of Section K of the and in 1939 was made Then in 1943 he was appointed to the Directorship of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, made vacant by the death of ."

"One will see a layer of smooth stones, popularly called fluitati [diluvium], and over these another layer of smaller pebbles, thirdly sand, and finally earth, and you will see this repeatedly...up to the summit of the Mountain. This clearly shows that the order has been caused by many floods, not just one."

"It should be earnestly remembered that besides the blessings of the Gospel, Christianity is the only remedy for the rapid decline of the northern Indians, and the terrible distresses they sometimes endure."

"Many have observed and many still expect to observe, but not everyone has observed well, and others do not know how to observe, nor perhaps do they know how tricky the art of observation is, easily misunderstanding one thing for another, being blinded by the light, or not looking with due attention and diligence at what is to be looked at."

"The visit of the British Association for the Advancement of Science to Montreal last autumn was much more than a startling innovation… it was a surprising testimony to the social and political change that has come over the British Empire within the quarter of a century."

"... whether the natives of India are to be treated as equal to Europeans in all respects . Under present circumstances it cannot fail to interest many to dissect the writings of one of the most prominent members of the native community , that we may lay bare and understand his motives and modes of action , and thus ascertain how far Europeans were justified in refusing to submit to the jurisdiction of natives in criminal actions."

"The rulers whom we supplanted were, like ourselves, aliens and usurpers. We found the Hindoos a conquered people, and, little by little, we substituted one yoke for another."

"For here, ye fair, no servile rites bear sway, Nor force ye—(though ye promise)—to obey: Blest in the mildness of tins temp'rate zone, Slaves to no whims, or follies—but your own.— Here custom, check'd in ev'ry rude excess, Confines its influence to the arts of dress, O'er charms eclips'd the side-long hat displays, Extends the hoop, or pares away the stays, Bedecks the fair with artificial gear, Breast-works in front, and bishops in the rear:— The idol rears, on beauty's dazzling throne, Mankind her slaves, and all the world her own; Bound by no laws a husband's whims to fear, Obey in life, or burn upon his bier; She views with equal eye, sublime o'er all, A lover perish—or a lap-dog fall— Coxcombs or monkeys from their chains broke loose— And now a husband dead—and now a goose."

"And let philosophers say what they please, You're not grown less by coming o'er the seas."

"See the great cabin nigh, its doors unfold, Shew fleeting forms from mirrors fix'd in gold! O'er painted ceilings brighter prospects rise, And rural scenes again delight our eyes."

"Some days elaps'd, I jogg'd quite brave on And found my Trumbull at New-Haven; Than whom, more humour never man did Possess—nor lives a soul more candid— But who, unsung, would know hereafter, The repartees, and peals of laughter, Or how much glee those laughters yield one, Maugre the system Chesterfieldian! Barlow I saw, and here began My friendship for that spotless man; Whom, though the world does not yet know it, Great nature form'd her loftiest poet. But Dwight was absent at North-Hampton, That bard sublime, and virtue's champion. To whom the charms of verse belong, The father, of our epic song!"

"Our Polish friend, whose name still sounds so hard, To make it rhyme would puzzle any bard; That youth, whom bays and laurels early crown'd, For virtue, science, arts and arms renown'd!"

"Your vict'ries won—your revolution ended— Your constitution newly made—and mended— Your fund of wit—your intellectual riches— Plans in the closet—in the senate speeches— Will make this age of heroes, wits and sages The first in story to the latest ages!— Go on—and prosper with your projects blest, Till your millennium rises in the west:— We wish success to your politic scheming, Rule ye the world!—and then—be rul'd by women!"

"In my house I have four , I sometimes adjust them so that at least two, but rarely more than three, strike the hour within a few seconds of each other. Fortunately, the pleasure I get from my clocks does not depend on them all telling the same time. When I switch on the in my car, however, things are different. It very quickly latches on to at least four atomic clocks high in the sky, all of which tell the same time to about a hundred millionth of a second. If they did not, my GPS would guide me to somewhere other than my desired destination."

"It has long been recognized that the basic units in science – such as the and the – should be defined in terms of fundamental physical phenomena. Indeed in 1870 James Clerk Maxwell recognized that the units of , and would only remain unchanged and reproducible if they were defined by the , period of vibration and absolute mass of molecules rather than by the physical properties of the Earth. However, it took over a century for the metre and the second to be defined in terms of the quantum properties of atoms. And it was only in 1990 that reproducible standards of and were linked to quantum phenomena."

", the science of measurement, is part of the essential but largely hidden infrastructure of the modern world. We need it for high-technology manufacturing, human health and safety, the protection of the environment, global climate studies and the basic science that underpins all these. Highly accurate measurements are not exclusively the preserve of the and engineering; many areas of chemistry, and medicine are now dependent on accurate quantitative measurements. in all manufactured and agricultural products is strictly controlled by regulations that need accurate metrology for their implementation."

"Yes thank your stars, Columbia's happy dames! Ye need not fear those frightful fun'ral flames: Of other lands let foreign bards be dreaming, But this, this only is the land for women;— Here ye invert the Bramins' barb'rous plan, And stretch your sceptre o'er the tyrant—man."

"On 19 March 1791 five of the great luminaries of French science, Laplace, Lagrange, Condorcet, and , met at the in Paris and drew up a document that laid down the definition of the new basic unit of length, the , for the proposed new system of measurement that would become the ."