Serendipity, Luck and Wisdom in Research

by Patrick J.

I've known the author circa fifty years; then, a young broad-based scientist with a good sense of humor; now, a broader-based scientist with a great sense of humor. Who better to develop an obsession with an unfunny, tantalizing, and unquantifiable topic like serendipity and produce a gem of a book analyzing its vital importance in the past and its great need in the future?-James A. Young, chemist"Surprise! I didn't see that coming! P. J. Hannan has ably documented the major role of fortuitous findings in scientific progress."-Clifford M. Gordon, physicist"Hannan writes the story of serendipity in research where scientific egos, luck, and the'Hand of God' clash for credit."-Michael A. Champ, marine scientistWhat good might come out of a graduate student's carelessness in dropping a vial of a valuable platinum solution on the laboratory floor? Is it reasonable to think that many Nobel Prizes stemmed, at least in part, on serendipitous circumstances? These and many other situations are described in this illuminating book that will be enjoyed by all who like a good story.

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2006