Giants of Science
“… all scientists involved in the discovery agreed on proposing the name “copernicium” for the new element 112. We would like to honor an outstanding scientist, who changed our view of the world”.
Thus in 2010 the international body which regulates such things allowed the recently discovered element, the heaviest in the Periodic Table, to be named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer who has often been called the founder of modern science. Not only was this an honour for the memory of an undoubted giant, and a bridge spanning more than 500 years of remarkable progress, but acknowledgement of a simple fact that is often overlooked. Which is that scientific thought and discovery have always been transnational, and never more so than today, with the internet allowing ideas to spread at the speed of light.
The background
Things did not move quite so fast in early modern Europe but it is clear that the iconoclastic ideas and calculations of Copernicus, written in the universal language of Latin, were widely known throughout Europe well before the publication in 1543 of his revolutionary book. Stranded for decades, one might think, in his famous tower overlooking a remote Baltic shore, for thirty years scholars had nonetheless badgered him to publish his copious calculations, had even travelled to witness and persuade Copernicus to publish his findings, just as others, both Protestants and those within the Catholic church which employed him, feared the possible impact of his ideas. And by the time the church did eventually ban his writings, De Revolutionibus was safely in the hands of adventurous thinkers throughout Europe, and beyond. There was even a copy in China by 1611.
Scroll forward to the present day and the parallels are still around us. The fear and repression of new ideas are still deeply embedded within both ourselves and our political systems. And yet we are also surrounded by evidence that a clearer and deeper understanding of the world we live in has produced countless advantages for mankind. Indeed, such knowledge, it is fair to say, is vital to our survival on this planet. It is profoundly encouraging, therefore, to observe that despite the damaging nationalism which stalked the continent during the past two centuries, scientific research in Europe has remained largely international and co-operative.
For too long the image abroad of Poland has been overshadowed by the single generation which the nation endured during Europe’s tragic twentieth-century divide. But in the area of science it can easily be demonstrated that Polish practitioners and natural philosophers were always, and still are, at the heart of intellectual activity in Europe and beyond. From Copernicus and Hevelius through the centuries to Maria Skłodowska-Curie and on to the contemporary astronomers and programmers, chemists, nano-scientists and mathematicians, this country can be proud of the contributions it made, and continues to make, to the general knowledge and wellbeing of humankind. Indeed, to come right up to date, in June this year, 2011, a newly discovered asteroid, number 114025, was named after the Kraków based Polish astronomer Jerzy Krzesiński, currently working at New Mexico University, USA.
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