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Scientific Blunders: A Brief History of How Wrong Scientists Can Sometimes Be...
Embarrassments come in various sizes, but few can rival in sheer, mind-blowing magnitude, some of the mistakes that have been perpetrated in the name of scientific advance. In the past, scientific blunders were made largely through ignorance and superstition. Today's scientists are more sophisticated in their errors, yet the end result is the same - the brightest (and often the most big-headed) members of society can sometimes be astonishingly wrong.
Examples investigated here include:
- early scientific blunders - the flat earth theory, the earth-centred universe blunder and the scientific rejection of the Copernican theory
- the scientist and the bishop - the great evolution debate
- the Piltdown Man hoax
- the Tay Bridge collapse
- Chernobyl
- the Hubble telescope blunder
- the Challenger space shuttle disaster
- the cold fusion affair
"Scientific Blunders" is by turns investigative and humorous. It is an account of the errors into which seemingly infallible humans have fallen, and gives a useful perspective of the risks and benefits of scientific advance.
Examples investigated here include:
- early scientific blunders - the flat earth theory, the earth-centred universe blunder and the scientific rejection of the Copernican theory
- the scientist and the bishop - the great evolution debate
- the Piltdown Man hoax
- the Tay Bridge collapse
- Chernobyl
- the Hubble telescope blunder
- the Challenger space shuttle disaster
- the cold fusion affair
"Scientific Blunders" is by turns investigative and humorous. It is an account of the errors into which seemingly infallible humans have fallen, and gives a useful perspective of the risks and benefits of scientific advance.
338 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 5, 2015
Mostly okay, but the main reason I want to review this book is to note a hilarious, inexplicable blunder made by the author himself. In reality, color-blindness is sometimes called "Daltonism" after the English chemist John Dalton, who was himself color-blind and did important research on the topic.
In the book, the author claims that Francis Galton (relative of Charles Darwin and father of eugenics) did research on color-blindness (he did not) and that color-blindness is sometimes called "Galtonism". Whoops!
(The author also inexplicably gives credence to the idea of "time riots" accompanying the institution of the Gregorian calendar, which didn't actually happen and which were essentially made up in retrospect, among other errors.)
In the book, the author claims that Francis Galton (relative of Charles Darwin and father of eugenics) did research on color-blindness (he did not) and that color-blindness is sometimes called "Galtonism". Whoops!
(The author also inexplicably gives credence to the idea of "time riots" accompanying the institution of the Gregorian calendar, which didn't actually happen and which were essentially made up in retrospect, among other errors.)
August 23, 2017
This book is somewhat mistitled. It's more about the history of science than about blunders. Of course a history of science must include the blind alleys (and blind mind-sets) that define the progress of science. The "Blunders" in the title is there because the publisher did a series of books about "blunders". This is an easy to read overview of science and the scientific process without going into too much technical detail. A worthwhile read for those interested in the basics of science and the origin of much of our knowledge.
March 28, 2013
Everyone should read this book at least twice. It's important to remember that, although science is the best tool the human species has for knowing the natural world, it's not impervious to human bias and error. This is a fascinating read as well as the reminder not to fall into the trap of thinking that human beings know everything there is to know about any particular subject.
December 6, 2013
So, there I was was, seeing if I could mix mutant white blood cells with an airborne transmitted virus ... hey, isn't it everyone's goal to make transmittable cancer?
No?
Ah, read more in this book.
No?
Ah, read more in this book.
April 8, 2026
The lighthearted title of Scientific Blunders is designed to attract an audience appropriate to the author’s intent, but does not reflect the book’s contents fully. The subtitle, “A Brief History of How Wrong Scientists Can Sometimes Be” is more accurate, as this work is an account of how even some of the greatest scientists have erred in their quest for knowledge. As such, “blunder” is used nebulously and addresses a wide array of scientific faults during the process of experimentation. At many junctions, therefore, what is covered here is less lighthearted than simple mistakes, with some sections highlighting errors that had considerably deleterious impacts for many years. These were often not just one-time miscalculations or misunderstandings, but long-term and unrealized biases that spanned multiple thinkers, and even generations of scientific thought.
Youngson divides the book into 11 sections by broad scientific fields, each with several chapters about particular incidents within those fields. He also provides a brief preface that highlights his purpose of educating readers on the scientific method and the pitfalls of bias in this process. His audience is stated explicitly as non-scientists, and he reveals that his goal is to help them understand the value of good science by unearthing the bad version.
Reviewing this work story by story, or even section by section, would be of limited value, as the format is relatively consistent throughout and the enjoyment of the reader of any particular tale is going to be based on their personal interests. One aspect that does differ significantly, however, is the breadth of what each part covers. For example, the first section is “Cosmology and Earth Science” and begins with “Star Errors”, covering humans’ efforts to understand the universe around them. While a logical subject choice to begin with, this portion feels more like an account of the development of thought about the cosmos rather than an identification of particular blunders (even though the latter is present). This immediately sets the tone as somewhat patronizing, if unintentionally, since it feels as if the author is criticizing the intellect of early scientists rather than pointing out lighthearted mistakes.
This tone is present through most of the book, as the discussion of true “blunders” are sprinkled through pockets of heavy discussions. Additionally, many of the topics that follow are not as broad as the cosmos themselves. For example, in the second section, “Evolution”, the author discusses subjects such as the Piltdown Man hoax and dinosaur extinction, which are much more balanced in terms of analyzing errors in thinking in a lighthearted manner. In the latter case, he even concludes with the admission that “[t]he jury is still out on the cause of the death of the dinosaurs”, which does well in highlighting the ever-evolving nature of science.
The author continues with sections on physics, mathematics and computing, chemistry, biology, medical science, psychology, technology, science and religion, and the philosophy of science, with most following similar patterns to the first two parts. The penultimate section is critical of religion’s excesses as they reacted to the development of thought, but is not overly didactic about the nature or value of religion itself. The final section advocates for good science, while its last chapter takes a look at the relationship between science and religion again, focusing on the Christian Bible specifically, which does wander to some extent like a stream of thought. His sentiment is that religion has a place in the world for experiences that the rationality of science cannot engage, and thus scientists should be wary of attacking religion as a whole (although rejecting demonstrably unscientific notions is encouraged). There is no epilogue beyond this, which makes it a satisfactory ending to what is both a collection of scientific errors and a broader message about the virtue of good science.
Overall, Scientific Blunders manages to both succeed and fall short of reaching its target audience. It is definitely not a work for professional scientists and much of its organization serves to make the text more accessible. Its tone, however, will likely come off as pretentious, even patronizing, to its target reader, and thus may fail in convincing them about the fallibility of science, and the importance of distinguishing good and bad science, particularly as not all of the science has been boiled down to be sufficiently understandable to the layman. Youngson admits in his preface that what he is attempting to accomplish is a difficult task, and he certainly put in an admirable effort in drawing in his audience. Ultimately, at 30 years old, most readers will not have a reason to pick this up, as it is not a light read, although its most historical nature means that very little is formally out of date.
Youngson divides the book into 11 sections by broad scientific fields, each with several chapters about particular incidents within those fields. He also provides a brief preface that highlights his purpose of educating readers on the scientific method and the pitfalls of bias in this process. His audience is stated explicitly as non-scientists, and he reveals that his goal is to help them understand the value of good science by unearthing the bad version.
Reviewing this work story by story, or even section by section, would be of limited value, as the format is relatively consistent throughout and the enjoyment of the reader of any particular tale is going to be based on their personal interests. One aspect that does differ significantly, however, is the breadth of what each part covers. For example, the first section is “Cosmology and Earth Science” and begins with “Star Errors”, covering humans’ efforts to understand the universe around them. While a logical subject choice to begin with, this portion feels more like an account of the development of thought about the cosmos rather than an identification of particular blunders (even though the latter is present). This immediately sets the tone as somewhat patronizing, if unintentionally, since it feels as if the author is criticizing the intellect of early scientists rather than pointing out lighthearted mistakes.
This tone is present through most of the book, as the discussion of true “blunders” are sprinkled through pockets of heavy discussions. Additionally, many of the topics that follow are not as broad as the cosmos themselves. For example, in the second section, “Evolution”, the author discusses subjects such as the Piltdown Man hoax and dinosaur extinction, which are much more balanced in terms of analyzing errors in thinking in a lighthearted manner. In the latter case, he even concludes with the admission that “[t]he jury is still out on the cause of the death of the dinosaurs”, which does well in highlighting the ever-evolving nature of science.
The author continues with sections on physics, mathematics and computing, chemistry, biology, medical science, psychology, technology, science and religion, and the philosophy of science, with most following similar patterns to the first two parts. The penultimate section is critical of religion’s excesses as they reacted to the development of thought, but is not overly didactic about the nature or value of religion itself. The final section advocates for good science, while its last chapter takes a look at the relationship between science and religion again, focusing on the Christian Bible specifically, which does wander to some extent like a stream of thought. His sentiment is that religion has a place in the world for experiences that the rationality of science cannot engage, and thus scientists should be wary of attacking religion as a whole (although rejecting demonstrably unscientific notions is encouraged). There is no epilogue beyond this, which makes it a satisfactory ending to what is both a collection of scientific errors and a broader message about the virtue of good science.
Overall, Scientific Blunders manages to both succeed and fall short of reaching its target audience. It is definitely not a work for professional scientists and much of its organization serves to make the text more accessible. Its tone, however, will likely come off as pretentious, even patronizing, to its target reader, and thus may fail in convincing them about the fallibility of science, and the importance of distinguishing good and bad science, particularly as not all of the science has been boiled down to be sufficiently understandable to the layman. Youngson admits in his preface that what he is attempting to accomplish is a difficult task, and he certainly put in an admirable effort in drawing in his audience. Ultimately, at 30 years old, most readers will not have a reason to pick this up, as it is not a light read, although its most historical nature means that very little is formally out of date.
December 27, 2019
Didn't finish this one. The style wasn't coherent enough, and the topics weren't in depth enough to keep my interest. There are also serious editing problems, with missing words and mistakes like "viewprint" instead of "viewpoint".
This isn't intended as an insult, but this might make a good bathroom book. The sections are generally short enough, and stand alone well enough, for a quick read in the bathroom. This book wasn't terrible, exactly, but I have way too much in my to-read pile to spend the time finishing it.
This isn't intended as an insult, but this might make a good bathroom book. The sections are generally short enough, and stand alone well enough, for a quick read in the bathroom. This book wasn't terrible, exactly, but I have way too much in my to-read pile to spend the time finishing it.
August 3, 2024
A good book writing on science and technology and the fumbling blunders encountered along the way, and points out how important they were in usually proving the veracity of the opposite point of view.
March 19, 2022
An engaging and informative read on how wrong humans can be in the matters of science.
September 27, 2023
Fascinating stories. Also great where time is limited! 😃👍
September 1, 2013
A journey through science
The 'Blunders' mentioned in this book are only an excuse to take the reader on an exciting journey through the very broad spectrum of science. You can actually compare this book with a menu card you would get in The Restaurant of Science: a starter of Evolution Theory, a main course of Physics, a slice of Biology and maybe some Technology as a dessert?
The common thread through all these chapters -being how wrong things can get- gives the reader an interesting view on what scientific prove actually means. All scientists are humans (we hope...) and this gives rise to emotional arguments popping up from time to time. What happens when you mix these with experimental research has been illustrated in abundance: carelessness, wrong-headedness, arrogance, moral fear or plain bad luck. Fair, not all 'blunders' are worthy of this tag, quite a lot are just as can be expected from a normal struggle for the truth. But still, science would have been far more advanced if these human influences could have been avoided. But isn't this a utopia?
Although the title might suggest some humorous content, it certainly does not deliver on these expectations. The tongue-in-cheek approach makes the topics quite more readable, but does not reduce the explanations to kindergarten gibberish. It is true that a few facts are plainly wrong, but the main message of the book doesn't suffer from this.
To conclude: it's a nice book intended for a general public and easy to read (I read it on a plane). It lets you browse through popular science in a relaxed manner. Hopefully this will encourage people to dive deeper into the topics they find interesting. But be aware: people who think of science as a sacred institution might get offended by this book.
The 'Blunders' mentioned in this book are only an excuse to take the reader on an exciting journey through the very broad spectrum of science. You can actually compare this book with a menu card you would get in The Restaurant of Science: a starter of Evolution Theory, a main course of Physics, a slice of Biology and maybe some Technology as a dessert?
The common thread through all these chapters -being how wrong things can get- gives the reader an interesting view on what scientific prove actually means. All scientists are humans (we hope...) and this gives rise to emotional arguments popping up from time to time. What happens when you mix these with experimental research has been illustrated in abundance: carelessness, wrong-headedness, arrogance, moral fear or plain bad luck. Fair, not all 'blunders' are worthy of this tag, quite a lot are just as can be expected from a normal struggle for the truth. But still, science would have been far more advanced if these human influences could have been avoided. But isn't this a utopia?
Although the title might suggest some humorous content, it certainly does not deliver on these expectations. The tongue-in-cheek approach makes the topics quite more readable, but does not reduce the explanations to kindergarten gibberish. It is true that a few facts are plainly wrong, but the main message of the book doesn't suffer from this.
To conclude: it's a nice book intended for a general public and easy to read (I read it on a plane). It lets you browse through popular science in a relaxed manner. Hopefully this will encourage people to dive deeper into the topics they find interesting. But be aware: people who think of science as a sacred institution might get offended by this book.
December 1, 2013
Scientists don't get it right all the time, and this book is a catalogue of some of the more memorable and significant errors that have befallen the scientific and engineering community.
IT is split into various categories, such as chemistry, physics and maths, and there are several examples or blunders. In between each essay there are quotes by famous scientists and other notable individual that have failed to come true.
Over all it is ok, nothing particularly bad about the writing or subjects covered, it just lacks a little sparkle.
IT is split into various categories, such as chemistry, physics and maths, and there are several examples or blunders. In between each essay there are quotes by famous scientists and other notable individual that have failed to come true.
Over all it is ok, nothing particularly bad about the writing or subjects covered, it just lacks a little sparkle.
June 14, 2010
It was funny and a quick read. Each topic was just a few pages. You can move around the book by topic without messing up how the book reads.
July 21, 2012
This book probably helped with my 2:1!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews