• Question: whos your favourite scientist?

    Asked by lmstypayhorlikson to Angus, Christian, Hannah, Laura, Simon on 14 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by acstypayhorlikson, dandav.
    • Photo: Simon Holyoake

      Simon Holyoake answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      I don’t know if I can pick just one!!

      I would say that Stephen Hawking for his groundbreaking work in cosmology, physics and mathematics, he (along with Roger Penrose and other great physicists) radically redefined how we view the origins of the universe, and he did all of this despite suffering from Motor Neurone disease and being confined to a wheelchair only able to move a few tiny muscles, he did not let his disability stop him rising to the very pinnacle of his field and that alone is deserving of respect and admiration

      I will recommend his book ‘A Brief History of Time’ – it totally inspired me to learn more about the universe!

    • Photo: Christian Maerz

      Christian Maerz answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      As a geologist, I really like William Smith. He is not very well-known, but he had a massive influence on the development of geology. He traveled around the whole of the UK and produced the first ever geological map – a massive achievement by a real field geologist! But I also like Alfred Wegener who developed the concept of plate tectonics – I especially like the fact that he was not even a geologist, but fought for his idea until it was finally accepted.

    • Photo: Hannah Bentham

      Hannah Bentham answered on 16 Jun 2013:

      Probably Einstein. He was pretty crazy.

      Though I do like Newton. He’s just pretty down to earth…
      Ah science jokes.

    • Photo: Angus Ferraro

      Angus Ferraro answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Richard Feynman was a great scientist as well as being insanely cool. He played the bongos! He worked on some really interesting physics and his books are great because he puts a very personal touch on them.

    • Photo: Laura Roberts Artal

      Laura Roberts Artal answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I can pick two:

      A lady called Mary Anning who lived in Lyme Regis on the Dorest Coast and found some of the most amazing fossils in the UK. She lived during the 1800s and in a male dominated world her work got little recognition at the time, but she was a true champion of geology! You can read all about her in the novel by Tracy Chevalier, Remarkable Creatures.

      Alfred Wegener is another favourite of mine because he was one of the first people to think of the theory of continental drift which helped us understand that the Earth is made up of different chunks that move around and fit together like a puzzle! His ideas were not hugely popular at the time, but are now building blocks of how we understand geology.

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