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Homer Burton Adkins
(16 Jan 1892 - 10 Aug 1949)
American organic chemist.
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Science Quotes by Homer Burton Adkins (1 quote)
Basic research is like shooting an arrow into the air and, where it lands, painting a target.
— Homer Burton Adkins
As quoted by Walter Gratzer, in book review titled 'The Bomb and the Bumble-Bees' (about the book Late Night Thoughts, by Lewis Thomas), Nature (15 Nov 1984), 31, 211. The original text expresses the quote as “It was the organic chemist, Homer Adkins, who defined basic research as shooting an arrow into the air, and…”.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
