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Quote by Oliver Sacks

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Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood

This book is a personal narrative that explores the author's early life and his deep interest in the field of chemistry. The story is centered around the author's relationship with his uncle, who was a chemist, and how this influenced his own development and curiosity about the world of science. more

Author

Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks

Oliver Sacks was a renowned neurologist known for his profound insights into the human brain and nervous system. His work delved into the relationship between brain diseases and human behavior, revealing the fascinating world of neuroscience to readers. more

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“And I often dream of chemistry at night, dreams that conflate the past and the present, the grid of the periodic table transformed to the grid of Manhattan. Sometimes, too, I dream of the indecipherable language of tin (a confused memory, perhaps, of its plaintive "cry"). But my favorite dream is of going to the opera (I am Hafnium), sharing a box at the Met with the other heavy transition metals my old and valued friends Tantalum, Rhenium, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Gold, and Tungsten.”

“Does sex education encourage sex? Many parents are afraid that talking about sex with their teenagers will be taken as permission for the teen to have sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, the more children learn abour sexuality from talking with their parents and teachers and reading accurate books, the less they feel compelled to find out for themselves.”

“The birth of a new fact is always a wonderful thing to experience. It's dualistically called a "discovery" because of the presumption that it has an existence independent of anyone's awareness of it. When it comes along, it always has, at first, a low value. Then, depending on the value-looseness of the observer and the potential quality of the fact, its value increases, either slowly or rapidly, or the value wanes and the fact disappears.”