ABSTRACT
In 1971 I had the honor of escorting a very famous scientist across the campus of the University of Colorado to the lecture auditorium in which he was going to speak. It was a beautiful spring day, and we were having a delightful conversation. With enthusiasm, the Nobel Laureate was telling me about the incredible potency of a particular pheromone. Calculations had yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that a single molecule of the pheromone was sufficient to excite the appropriate receptor in an insect. This, he told me, was similar to the calculations of Hecht, Shlaer, and Pirenne (1942) indicating that one quantum of light is sufficient to trigger the response of a single rod receptor. Quite suddenly our visitor stopped, his discourse ending in mid-sentence, and with some agitation he pointed to the inscription etched over the entrance to our library. “Who knows only his own generation remains always a child.” Cicero had touched a raw nerve. The rationalization etched in granite, actually a slab of exposed concrete, should be erased. Why? Because scientists should not read history; it is counter-productive. Scientific problems should be approached naively, with the simplicity and creativity of a child. In science, historical “truths” should not be revered, they should be discarded gleefully in the light of new discoveries. New evidence is the life-blood of the scientist. We had started walking again and my response was cut short as we entered the auditorium, where we were soon treated to an excellent lecture.
