Many scientific discoveries languish without acceptance or appreciation by colleagues and/or members of the general public. One of the best examples is that of Gregor Mendel, whose discovery of the major foundational principles of genetics preceded scientific and general acceptance by almost 50 years. Why is it that some discoveries take so long to be appreciated, while others, like Watson and Crick’s discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA, were immediately lauded as great advances?
In Innovators, Donald Kirsch shares stories of great discoveries in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and environmental science, each of which was delayed, suppressed, and/or ignored with respect to making it known just how much of an advance each of the discoveries represented.
The strongest feature of the book is the stories of the discoveries themselves. The author places each one nicely into context, providing a run-up to each discovery with respect to describing the broader...
University of California Press