Promoting the Planck Club

DONALD W. BRABEN, PHD, is an honorary professor at University College London, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and Founder of Venture Research International Ltd. He spent some 16 years in particle physics, followed by spells in the Cabinet Office and Science Research Council headquarters before beginning his long association with Venture Research in 1980. Dr. Braben is the author of Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization and Pioneering Research: A Risk Worth Taking (both from Wiley).

List of Posters ix Foreword xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Accidents, Coincidences, and the Luck of the Draw: How Benjamin Thompson and Humphry Davy Enabled Michael Faraday to Electrify the World 16 Chapter 2 Science, Technology, and Economic Growth: Can Their Magical Relationships Be Controlled? 27 Chapter 3 Max Planck: A Reluctant Revolutionary with a Hunger of the Soul 38 Chapter 4 The Golden Age of Physics 50 Chapter 5 Oswald T. Avery: A Modest Diminutive Introverted Scientific Heavyweight 79 Chapter 6 Barbara McClintock (1902 1992): A Patient, Integrating, Maverick Interpreter of Living Systems 89 Chapter 7 Charles Townes: A Meticulously Careful Scientific Adventurer 99 Chapter 8 Carl Woese: A Staunch Advocate for Classical Biology 110 Chapter 9 Peter Mitchell: A High-Minded Creative and Courageous Bioenergetics Accountant 126 Chapter 10 Harry Kroto: An Artistic and Adventurous Chemist with a Flair for Astrophysics 139 Chapter 11 John Mattick: A Prominent Critic of Dogma and a Pioneer of the Idea That Genomes Contain Hidden Sources of Regulation 158 Chapter 12 Conclusions: How We Can Foster Prosperity Indefinitely 174 Appendix 1 Open Letter to Research Councils UK from Donald W. Braben and Others Published in Times Higher Education, November 5, 2009 194 Appendix 2 Global Warming: A Coherent Approach 197 References 201 Index 206