Revolutionary Science

The usual view of science is that it proceeds gradually, but the most interesting developments in science occur when a new way of thinking, like relativity or quantum mechanics, is introduced. These “paradigm shifts” were described by Kuhn in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I stumbled into a minor revolution, in colloid science, and will describe how new ideas are accepted (or not). I will then describe some historical scientific revolutions, particularly those regarding our understanding of light: from Huygens’ waves in the 17th century through to wave-particle duality.

The publication in 1953 of the revolutionary ladder like molecular structure of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick, marked the beginning of a new era in biological science and led to a better understanding of life at the molecular level. In this talk, I will explain the techniques that Watson and Crick used to interpret Rosalind Franklin's famous data, Photo 51, to solve one of the most intriguing secrets of nature.

We believe our universe began in an explosion known as the Big Bang. As the universe cooled matter formed into the more familiar protons, neutrons and electrons. The nuclear force, with a range much smaller than the width of an atom, determined the composition of our entire visible universe. It is the nuclear force that allows for elements other than hydrogen and helium to be created in stars. And it is the nuclear force that helped to spread the elements that created chemicals, planets, and life throughout space. I will explore the role of nuclear physics in evolving our universe.