Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by James Dwight Dana

Quote by James Dwight Dana

Work

Corals and Coral Islands

This book delves into the fascinating world of corals and the unique islands formed by their growth. It examines the biodiversity, ecological importance, and challenges facing these delicate ecosystems. more

Author

James Dwight Dana
James Dwight Dana

James Dwight Dana was a prominent geologist, born on February 12, 1813, and died on April 14, 1895. He made significant contributions to the field of geology, particularly in the areas of petrology and mineralogy. more

You May Also Like

“What struck me most in England was the perception that only those works which have a practical tendency awake attention and command respect, while the purely scientific, which possess far greater merit are almost unknown. And yet the latter are the proper source from which the others flow. Practice alone can never lead to the discovery of a truth or a principle. In Germany it is quite the contrary. Here in the eyes of scientific men no value, or at least but a trifling one, is placed upon the practical results. The enrichment of science is alone considered worthy attention.”

“Yet as I cast my eye over the whole course of science I behold instances of false science, even more pretentious and popular than that of Einstein gradually fading into ineptitude under the searchlight; and I have no doubt that there will arise a new generation who will look with a wonder and amazement, deeper than now accompany Einstein, at our galaxy of thinkers, men of science, popular critics, authoritative professors and witty dramatists, who have been satisfied to waive their common sense in view of Einstein's absurdities.”

“With all reserve we advance the view that a supernova represents the transition of an ordinary star into a neutron star consisting mainly of neutrons. Such a star may possess a very small radius and an extremely high density. As neutrons can be packed much more closely than ordinary nuclei and electrons, the gravitational packing energy in a cold neutron star may become very large, and under certain conditions may far exceed the ordinary nuclear packing fractions.”