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Samuel Karlin
(8 Jun 1924 - 18 Dec 2007)
American mathematician who improved DNA analysis by applying mathematics to early efforts at genome sequencing. Although born in Poland, his parents emigrated to the U.S. when he was two months old.
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Science Quotes by Samuel Karlin (1 quote)
The purpose of models is not to fit the data but to sharpen the questions.
— Samuel Karlin
Quoted in several several sources as from “11th R.A. Fisher Memorial Lecture, to the Royal Society (20 April 1983)”. For example, see Alan L. Mackay, A Dictionary of Scientific Quotations (1991), 138. However, Webmaster has read, and searched, but cannot find such words in the printed record in 'The Eleventh R. A. Fisher Memorial Lecture: Kin Selection and Altruism', in S. Karlin and C. Matessi, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences (22 Oct 1983), 219, No. 1216, Mathematical Genetics, 327-353. So, as yet, although the article does discuss various models relevant to the titled subject, Webmaster cannot document a verification of this quote. Perhaps it was a verbal comment spoken from the podium, but not included in the printed prepared lecture? Perplexing. Can you help?
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) -- 
